AnnikaMoore

Hello to All, Life has been so good to me, sometimes it amazes me to think about all the opportunities I have been given! I was born 57 years ago on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. I lived there for nine years and have fond memories of going to the market and buying dried guppy fish as a treat for my weekly allowance and picking papaya in my back yard. My Father was a Methodist missionary in Indonesia for 24 years, my Mother was a grade 4-6 classroom teacher. Both have been phenomenal role models for life-long learning. My Mother always said she wanted to live until she died - she did - and died very suddenly one month after I immigrated with my two children in the USA. My Father has lived in "his own world" for the past six or so years and finally was brought "home" in November, 2010.

In 1963 the political environment in Indonesia was such that my parents chose to send my big sister and myself to live with Grandmother in Sweden.

I graduated from high school in Lund, Sweden, in 1972. I graduated from the Teachers' Training College in Malmö, Sweden, in May 1977.

I was married in Sweden and have two biological children, Andreas (32) and Maria (29) with "my Swedish husband". I am divorced and then re-married to "my American husband". He brought two children, Jason (30) and Erika (26) to our family.

In Sweden I taught grades 4-6, all subject areas, in a three-year looping system for 19 years before I moved to Stow, Ohio, in August 1996.

Here in Ohio I have taught Math in grades 7 - 9 for 10 years. Six of these years I taught at The Freshman Academy in Canton City SD. In 2006 I was hired as a Curriculum Consultant at the Educational Service Center in Wooster and worked predominantly within the realm of mathematics. I supported the implementation of new math programs in districts, I coached teachers to teach in a more student-active manner, I designed PD for in-service days, and I led workshops and college courses for the teachers in Ashland, Holmes, and Wayne counties. In January of this year I was hired as a Consultant at Ohio Department of Education. I am working in the Office of Educator Equity supporting Race to the Top districts to implement their plans to achieve equity in the distribution of their teachers. I work predominantly with the "Big Urban" districts, even though we count 21 districts as "our big urban".

My home is still in Stow but I rent a bedroom in Columbus to have somewhere to rest my head during the week. Will be commuting back to Kent for our class on Tuesdays this summer.

I received my formal Master's degree in 2000 from Walsh University, North Canton, OH. You know where I am in my educational journey now - I am a doctoral candidate at KSU ready to take on my final "stretch" in my doctoral journey!

I will be researching "What events change children's perception of themselves as mathematicians" over the course of one school year. I am planning on doing a case study with students in grades 3 and 4.

I am excited to get guidance and "push" to get my final piece of this puzzle accomplished. It's like reading a good book - I don't want it to come to an end. ..

My greatest accomplishment so far in my whole life took 15 months and 13 days to achieve - I lost 130 pounds by joining Weight Watchers in September 2009 and started exercising. On Memorial Day, 2010, I walked a 5 K, in September, 2010, I ran a 5 K, on Thanksgiving Day morning I ran a 4 mile Turkey Trott, and in April, 2011 I ran a 5mile (came in 2nd in my age group!!). I am currently preparing to run a 10 K on June 4th when visiting my family in Sweden. I am thinking about running a half marathon in October in Columbus - anybody want to join me???

See you in two weeks! Annika (pronounced like Hanukkah, but without the "H")