Meet your Teacher Personal:  I was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania (close to Pittsburgh) I grew up in West Virginia.  (Lucky me)  I married my college sweetheart and he is still my sweetheart.  I have had two great best friends, my two cocker spaniels, Gretchen and Jenny.  They are both dead now but their spirits are always with me.  You will see pictures of them in my room.  I have lived in West Virginia, Virginia, and Florida. My father's idea of a fun family vacation to a Native American burial ground (I am in the hat) Notice how happy I am. Me and my posse( now a navy jet pilot and state policeman) I broke my neck and mangled my right hand in a fall from a horse four years ago.  It was a life changing event but I hope it has made me a better person.  My father died in 2000 of bone cancer. He was an attorney and a driving force of my life.  My mother lives with me and was a homemaker who quit college after two years to put my father through law school.  She still corrects my English and has had a hard time keeping me in line.  I have two sisters, one is my best friend.  One is a federal prosecutor and one is an elementary teacher.  My family believed in education and a no fail attitude.  We were a very traditional American family.  Defeat was not a word used in my house. 13 and my first dance Education:  West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV Marshall University, Huntington, WV  (Bachelors in Sec. Ed.) James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia  (Masters of Arts, History-major Education-minor) Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Doctorate, major- higher ed. with a specialization in curriculum and instruction) Dissertation – The Development and Validation of a Multicultural Course in American History from 1877 to the Present at Manatee Community College Additional coursework:  Jacksonville University and University of South Florida Teaching Experience:  middle school, high school, drop- out program at vocational school, preparatory academy, college, university, graduate school, and supervised student teachers in kindergarten through high school  -  public and private  - Favorite things:  my husband, books, the beach, Jimmy Buffett music, architecture, interior design, beach bottles, rocks ( I started collecting at 4) (thanks Aubry, Kory, Austin), horses, dogs, polo, the young bride keys, cool junk (thanks Sean), sea shells, the cities of London and Paris, my Jeep, history, and really interesting people Big deals:  my broken neck, my doctorate, cantering a horse, my own surf board, lasting love, running the 7-mile bridge, hiking in the rainforest, climbing three pyramids, biking 10,000 feet down Mt. Haleakala, snorkeling with a green sea turtle for an hour, bench pressing 135 lbs., walking at Antietam Battlefield, listening to a horse run, sitting in the National Cathedral, taking care of my dad while he was dying, seeing the Grateful Dead, doing 60 military push- ups( required in basic training),  getting to stand in places I have dreamed of seeing and read about, looking at the water, teaching, The Pyramids at Giza, Versailles, St. Peter's Cathedral, and unconditional trust Compulsions:  collecting rocks and sea shells, reading, history, excellence, doing new things What did I do this summer?  Besides working on the computer and trying to create new stuff for school? Well, what did I do this summer?  I don’t know why summers are so busy and short at this point in my life………as a kid I remember they lasted for ever, I slept to noon, when my mother was in a generous mood, and I played, slept, and whined about nothing to do.  Funny how some things change ………  I had a great trip to the Keys.  My husband and I ran the old Seven Mile Bridge and then walked it again to enjoy the beautiful wildlife.  I ran past an Osprey on a post, saw over 100 Tarpons 6 to 8 feet long roll under the bridge, watched sea turtles, rays, and sharks in the crystal clear waters.  What a thrill!  I am easily entertained.  We continued to Key West and just hung out and enjoyed a lot of good music. I ran over 350 miles this summer and ended running on silver dollar sized blisters on both feet.  I changed shoes and got new blisters and blisters under blisters and finally ended up in the emergency room with an infected foot and had to have it lanced and take an antibiotic for ten days.  See how much fun I had.  I hope I am still on track to run over 1600 miles this year………………..I know I run like a girl, try to keep up!!!!!! I have returned as an adjunct for State College of Florida (MCC).  This semester I am teaching AMH 10101 and 1020.  I taught for MCC full time for six years and I am glad to be back. I read 16 books this summer.  My new favorite was  The Zoo Keeper’s Wife and my favorite reread was All Quiet on the Western Front.  I love to reread a great book and find it as good as the first time.  I read 8 books on my IPod while I ran.  Only I would find a way to do two things I love to do at the same time.  You should try it. BUT………….the biggest news was that I got a new puppy.  She is six months old now and is a parti-colored (Black and White) Cocker Spaniel.  She is the sweetest dog!  I have had three Cocker Spaniels in my life and it took us 5 years to be ready to start again after my Jenny died.  I have been very blessed to have these wonderful souls in my life.  So if your paper has a tear in it, you will know that I was happily sitting with my pup, Bella while I was grading your paper.   At least you will know I was in a great mood while I was grading your paper. Tried to remember all the great students who are leaving for college that I will miss so much  / bye-bye good friends, I wish you happiness Lady Isabella finds herself in the mirror Bella Paris with my husband   "the kiss" on the river Seine The pictures are from my trip to Europe last summer, I can't wait to go back. What would I do if I won the lottery?  Move to Maui and live by the ocean with my husband, teach part-time at the University of Hawaii and then give the other half of my winnings to The Southern Poverty Law Center, Habitat for Humanity, and the SPCA   More Pictures of Me I did wear a dress at least once First Year Teacher Huntington, WV Look at the size of each block Me, at 13 beside historical roadside marker Freshman year high school, homecoming princess Doctor, Professor, and Parrothead Mexico / pyramids at Chichen Itza - Am I having fun? Pyramids at Giza - Looking for historical clues Mount Haleakala 30,000 to sea level on a bike -Now I am having fun! Parliament and me" Time of my life!"
Sandra Crihfield Copyright © 2008 Designed by: Monika Faber