Intro Letter

Hi my name is Anthony Atwood. I was born in Panorama city hospital, and I lived in Camarillo, CA. for many years. My parents were transferred to Bakersfield, CA. when I was in middle school, and yeah if you have ever been there...you know. Anyway, my parents were fortunate enough to be transferred to San Diego and I finish my secondary education at Rancho Bernardo High School. After my graduation from high school in 2002 I attended Palomar Community college and graduated with both an AA degree in General Arts and Sciences, and Liberal Arts and Studies. After Palomar I enrolled at California State University San Marcos and have graduated with my BA in History. I completed my teacher preperation courses at CSUSM, and I am now a fully licensed Social Science Teacher! I student taught at Rancho Buena Vista High School in the Fall of 2012 and Valley High School in the Spring of 2013. In Spring of 2015 I successfully defended my thesis and recieved my Masters of Arts in Education and I also recieved my second credential in Computer Concepts and Applications. I am currently teaching educational technology and video produciton at Valley Center High School in  Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District.

After high school I joined the San Diego County Office of Education as a teachers aid for the Juvenile Court and Community Schools and worked there as a teachers assistant for 4 years. I saw a lot and got to meet some dedicated teachers. About 5 years ago I applied for a full time position at North County Acadamey an Instructional Assistant (yes there is a difference, IA's get better pay and full benefits!) where I worked with Emotionally Disturbed students. I have also worked at Vista Acadamey of Visual and Performing Arts as an after school tutor for the ASES program run jointly by SDCOE and Vista Unified.

My brothers are computer programmers, my older brother works for Fujitsu as a tech support specialist in San Francisco, and my younger brother is a former SDCOE and Poway Unified computer technician. He currently works at Glacier Water Company as an analyst.

I have been in the trenches, as it were, for 10 years now. I Have taught and reached students who were written off as unteachable, and let me tell you their stories are incredible. Most of my students have a reason to hate education and learning, because the system has let them down, and yet they somehow managed to give me a second chance (and sometimes a third and a forth) to make education a worth while investment. I have seen many students totally turn their lives around and become something great. I have also seen students try their hardest and fall deeper into the ever growing gap in education. I believe that every student regardless of their "abnormality" be it skin color or educational background, has the right to a free public education, and my job as their teacher is to ensure that they receive an education that is well regulated and is in accordance with the states expectations of both myself and them, but at the same time, I have the background to make those standards fun and to teach my students what they need to know, in a way that makes it fun and interesting for them...at the same time I also know how to create a safe, inclusive environment with proper structure and appropriate boundaries so that my students will want to learn.

My ultimate dream is to work at Juvenile Hall for the San Diego County Office of Education as a Social Science Teacher, and/or work at the United Nations Cultural, Educational, and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) in either cultural heritage or education.