Meet+Your+Teacher

= Meet Your Teacher =



My name is Steven Peck and I have wanted to pursue a career in science since I was about 7 years old. As a child, I would spend hours reading encyclopedias and absorbing knowledge of all kinds. But science interested me most and I struggled with the decision of how I would make science a part of my life's work. Fairly recently, I discovered that I had a talent and enthusiasm for teaching. It was "in my blood," so to speak as both my aunt and uncle were public school teachers and my mother was a preschool teacher. With my uncle's encouragement, I became certified as a substitute teacher in Jefferson County, CO. Over the last few years, I've had a taste of what it feels like managing a classroom and relating to the students and teachers and decided that I wanted the full course of it. So I came to Metropolitan State College of Denver to pursue my teacher's licensure.

Because I have already had experience as a substitute teacher and as an instructor for University of Phoenix Online (teaching general biology), I believe that I would make a good teacher candidate. I have a Masters degree in biology from University of Colorado at Denver, have taken additional science courses at Colorado State University and Red Rocks Community College, and have recently passed the PRAXIS II exam in General Science in the top 15 percentile of the history of the exam (before even beginning my teacher's training).

Science thrives upon personal discovery and I believe that students need to be free to form their own ideas about the subject once they've grasped the basic, widely accepted theories. Perhaps a student's question in class could lead to the cure for AIDS or travel to the stars. You never know! Scientific discoveries are **serendipitous**; they can literally come straight out of the blue. I encourage students to air their questions and ideas in the classroom and on this Wiki (where many people can see them and add their own answers and opinions).

As for the inspiration for the name of this Wiki, I am 1/4 Swedish. My paternal grandmother emigrated from Sweden in the 1930's. The **smorgasbord** is a Swedish phenomenon and originally referred to a sort of deli buffet with a wide variety of meats, cheeses, and garnishes. By extension, a smorgasbord refers to a wide variety of any kind of objects or ideas collected into one place. As a bow to my heritage and the theme of this Wiki, the name seemed right.

**__Why You Should Hire Me__**

Here is a Photostory 3 file that includes my educational philosophy statement. I understand that a declaration of one's personal philosophy of education is one of the FAQ's in a teacher candidate interview. So to all of the employers who visit this site, I hope that you like what you hear.

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