Robinson's E-Portfolio

Born and raised in Illinois, I have enjoyed the pleasure of being a Computer Applications Teacher for many years.  I am presently teaching 9th-11th graders teaching them how to create websites for their own personal use combined with teaching Microsoft Office Applicaton skills.  I have taught grades PreK-12th during my long career and my passion for teaching hasn't ended in all these years. 

How I've Become A Pro

The power to influence and the power to inform, these are my main reasons for choosing the profession of teacher.  The dictionary defines influence as the ability to sway or effect change and I want to effect change in the last basion of the American fight with racism--education of it's urban youth.  Many African American children have not had the vast amount of resources and exposure to the many possibilities that exist in American culture.  For whatever reasons, public education has not been able to fill this gap effectively.

I believe that the gap exists because unfortunately, some teachers have not seen their job as an agent for change and influence or feel overburdened and unsupported by bureaucracy and red tape.  I do not presuppose I can make gargantuan changes in an already overtaxed system, but I truly believe in the power of one person to change a child's mind just by introducing them to the power that they themselves hold within.  By awakening them to their own strenghts, gifts, and dreams, a teacher becomes a powerful agent for change and growth.

As well, a teacher's ability to accomplish this would require that he or she be fully committed and passionate about the subject that they teach, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives.  Teachers who constantly fortify this passion with knowledge and skills, and are able to learn new teaching methods and employ them, can in fact be of a much greater influence.