CallMeMrGardner

I've spent the last 26 years of my professional career creating out-of-the-box, short and long-term projects and activities for scholars, with the goals of making the skills and strategies we explore in the classroom connect to and be relevant in the real lives of my scholars. I've shared these goals with high school civics scholars in Washington, DC, and 8th grade language arts scholars in one of the largest school districts in the nation, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA, and one of the most rural public school districts in Virginia, Frederick County Public Schools. It's been my mission to create instructional vehicles that help scholars find success in this swiftly changing, progressively diverse, interconnected world. I've done this through embracing technology, film, music, the classics, modern young adult novels, problem-based challenges, high-interest nonfiction, dark short stories, and more that provoke curiosity and inspire my scholars to become life-long learners.

Inquiry-based educator/entertaining ringmaster skilled in providing students with engaging and relevant learning opportunities that - through the power of student choice, experience, product, and process - empower students to become collaborative critical thinkers, purposeful creators and communicators, cognitive life-long learners, and responsible citizens.

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1996 - M.Ed., Secondary Education, The University of Akron 1992 - B.S., Political Science/Criminal Justice, The University of Akron

For the last 23 years, I've been an advocate of and fundraiser for breast cancer research, raising over $650,688 to date. In doing so, I've been honored as the 2015 Amgen National Breakaway from Cancer Champion and the 2007 and 2012 Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure Co-Survivor of the Year. I've published articles on the importance of breast cancer awareness in young women, and I've testified before a U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the importance of funding breast cancer research.