Assignment: Introduction

Please introduce yourself to me and your classmates.  In your presentation, please answer the following questions.

• Where do you work (school, district office, other)?
  
• If in a school, at what grade level do you work?
  
•  If in a school, what do you teach or otherwise do to help students succeed?
  
• If not in a school or district office, what is your connection or interest in education?
  
• How many years have you been an educator or other professional if not an educator?
  
• What different roles have you assumed in schools and for how long (e.g., counselor, teacher, principal, resource specialist, teacher’s aide)?
  
• What assessment experiences have you had (e.g., made and administered formative and summative assessments for my classroom, administered and/or interpreted standardized tests, observed and coached teachers or staff as part of an evaluation or professional development process, administered and interpreted placement tests, other)?
  

**Please use my autobiography below for the questions mentioned above.  Feel free to change/edit to cover all the questions mentioned above on my autobiography that is posted below.  Thank you!

Talofa Cohort family!

My name is Joe Bert but I prefer everyone in class to call me Big Joe:.
I was born on December 11, 1976. I spend most of my life here in Hawaii, from childhood to teenager, and now as an adult.  I
am a doctorate student with University of Hawaii-Manoa. I am a Resource Specialist at Kapualani School, under the Special Education Department. I still consider myself as a Special Ed teacher, because my title of being a Resource Specialist is not on paper.

I adore and love my family to the moon and back.  Both of my parents are retired, and are still alive and strong and I thank God for that.  I have six sisters, one passed away in 2000, and two brothers.  My family is well known as educators and health care (nurses) in my extended family tree.  I am grateful that I am in the same EdD Program and taking the same courses with my sister Betty Bert.  My family and I are strong Christian people and we worship the Lord’s name every day.

I enrolled at the University of Phoenix Online where I received my Bachelor of Science in 2007, and at the same University I received my Masters in Education in 2009.

One of the reasons for pursuing this doctorate degree is to gain more knowledge and to become an effective professional teacher. Getting this degree will help me look in to other professional fields in the future.

As for my dissertation that I hope and pray to accomplish, The impact of parental involvement of children with Autism on their social and academic achievement. I’d like to research and learn more about this topic.

I’m not a good writer at all. English is my second language, therefore; I need help with my writing skills. I am glad that this course will help improve my writing skills towards my dissertation paper.

I believe that we all can do our best as a Cohort group to work together as a team/family to tackle any problems that we’ll be facing ahead in this class!

Good luck to you all, and God bless