Derek's
"All About Me, Me, and Me"
Website
(Sponsored by NyQuil and Klenex tissues)

"I hope that life isn't a big joke...

        .   .....'cause I don't get it."

Email me:
(click on the bottle)

 

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A Brief Autobiography
 

Do I look  younger without my moustache?

     I was born on June 28, 1968 (exactly eight years after John Elway) in Yuma, Arizona but spent most of my time growing up in either the metropolis of Greeley, Colorado, out on my father's farm near the Colorado/Kansas border, and here in Florida (That makes me sort of a mix between Woody Boyd and Cliff Clavern on Cheers).

       I have been living in Florida since 1998 and am currently attending the University of Florida in pursuit of a Ph.D in Educational Psychology (I'm not an analyst)!  I have quite a few useful interests in the field.  Briefly the 6 big ones are as follows:

Click here for my dissertation page!

• My current study revolves around "Other" and "self" orientation, perceptions of competence, and gender orientation.  My investigations do not look at sex per se, but addresses the question of how 8 to 13 year-old children view their own gender-roles and how this effects achievement. For instance, gifted girls often begin to underachieve in order to "fit in" with their peers at this age (at least in North America)...but to what extent is this a function of subscribing to more traditional feminine traits that often focus on others(nurturing, social, conforming, caring, being childlike, ect.)?   Do "Tom-boys" exhibit similar patterns?  Does ability play a role in this?  There is quite a bit of literature on sex differences, but how much of this is related to gender roles remains less understood.
• .
• I would like to eventually study how gender roles influence persistence and achievement in reading and writing for boys.  Do they see reading as a feminine activity?  If so, to what extent is this influenced by their gender identity?  This is a very important question actually since more and more people are revisiting the idea of single-sex schooling.

• Beliefs about ability tend to be the foundation of my interests!  These tend to revolve around the influence of how changable or stable a person believes ability is for a given task.  For instance, many believe math ability is something you are born with and not something someone works to acquire.  These types of beliefs generally predict who quits early when the going gets tough and who keeps trying.  If they happen to also believe in certain stereotypes (such as 'girls can't do math') then it may be even worse.

I still have a lot to learn.

• My true love lately (and perhaps more bizzare) has been the study of time perception.  I used to think that this was a rather simple concept ("Time flies when you're having fun" or "A watched pot never boils") but more recent research on Parkinson Disease and Attention Deficit Disorder seems to suggest that a more to this than meets the eye.  A distorted sense of time plays an important, and definitely less studied, role in many other constructs...but I've only seen one aspect (known as flow) actually recieve any attention.  There is scant literature on how this develops in children.\
• Other areas that I am considering include:  Causality Orientations (The degree a person considers the choices they make as self-determined or largely controlled by the environment), School Transitions and Imaginary Audience behaviors (The belief that younger teens feel that everyone is watching them -- I'm beginning to theorize that Imaginary Audience is more a function of school transitions than current understandings suggest), and Percieved Incompetence (children who do not feel as smart as people tell them they are).  I am generally interested in how these areas develop in children.
• I will eventually do research in gender and teaching.  I'm especially interested in male elementary teachers:  When did they choose the vocation?  What were the antecedent events?  What promises and perils do they see for themselves in the field of education?  How do they cope?  See my brief article in www.menteach.org (it should be up in October).

• I believe that the rings around the planet Saturn are composed primarily of my lost airport luggage.  I could swear I've seen my lost shirts orbiting the planet in the more recent photos.  Further investigation pending upon adequate funding.

.. .
 (Please send research money!!)

     When I graduate I would like to continue working with pre-service teachers and to spend time serving the field of education through the application of research-based principles (see below).  I have had many hobbies and interests over the years but astronomy (I'm a science nut), zymurgy (you never seem to run out of good freinds, or scare away insecure girlfriends, when you brew your own beer.  I usually brew very low alcohol Irish 'session' beers), being a parrothead, advocating for youth, exercise and sports, and exploring Florida (I still have a lot to see) have stuck with me.  Further, scuba diving and sailing have been my passions of late ... so obviously Florida has had a big influence in that regard.  Kayaking would be interesting too.  Of course there were other reasons for being down here, I can't remember what they were though.....oh wait ... I remember:
**Please note that this point may not be too clear during them months of August and September!
 
 

• Eaton Elementary (1st Grade Student Teacher) in Eaton, Colorado..basketball coach.
• *** Stratton Elementary (Third Grade Teacher) in Stratton, Colorado ***
• Link to current weather at the elementary...(from a grant I wrote long ago).
• Jefferson Elementary (Title I Reading Teacher) in Greeley, Colorado
• Brentwood Middle School (Gifted Educator) in Greeley, Colorado
• Summer Enrichment Program (K-10 a whole slew of subjects) at the Univ. of Northern Colorado
• Orange River Elementary (Title I Reading Teacher) in Fort Myers, Florida
• University of Florida (EDF 3210 Educational Psychology, EDF 3135 The Adolescent,, and EDF 3115 Child Development in Inclusive Settings) in Gainesville, Florida

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By developing POWERFUL research programs I plan to discover the elusive 'Theory of Everything' in education!

  We would all probably live longer if we didn't watch it...but just in case!

  In some ways my heart is still down in Ft. Myers and the South-West Florida.

This site directs you to several live webcams along the Front Range of Colorado.

Home of the World Champion Denver Br....err...former World Champion Denver Broncos!

Click here to listen in on The 50,000 watt blow torch of the rockies.
                                   850 KOA is a 24 hour news channel in Denver...a great place to keep up with the Broncos.

If you need a home brewed beer real bad...
                                                .... here is where you go to learn how to brew real bad beer!
                         All the latest in the world of home brewing.  Also visit Beerweek for more technical news.

Great study music -- he often webcasts his concerts live too!!

  Take a peek at what John, the CEO and Grand Poo-baa of Geminid LLC, is peddling this week.
                                 Make a bid....He'll make you a deal he couldn't make his own brother!!

You can never be too up-to-date in the field of education.( requires log-in).

A suggested search engine.  There are many out there but this one seems to serve education well.

 -> Other sites that I find useful but am too lazy to find icons for:
     - Hoagie's Gifted Page is a great resource when you need information about our gifted youth.
     - The Fox in Denver  when you can't move your butt to a radio.
     - I don't know why I am doing all of the searching.  Click here to find radio stations from around the country.

Other Links:

Click here for information regarding EDF 3135 "The Adolescent".
 

Click here for information my professional resource page (it hasn't been updated for awhile).
 
 

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ALWAYS under construction......

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