My name is Moira Goddard and I am a fifth-generation Californian, born and raised in Highland, CA. I attended St. Adelaide's School from Kindergarten through third grade, and public schools in the area through grade twelve. The summer after I attended my first year at Cal State San Bernardino, I drove my silver 1980's-era Plymouth Champ to my new apartment in San Diego. I attended San Diego State University and ultimately graduated with a Journalism degree. I worked in the banking industry in several marketing positions for about ten years before I started a family.
My experience with technology began in high school (1985-ish) when I took a "cutting-edge" word-processing class and went on to learn WordStar and WordPerfect (the grandfathers of Word). Over the course of my professional career, I took a few computer training classes and became fairly proficient with Excel, Word and some database programs. While I would not consider myself an expert with technology by any means, I have always been comfortable figuring out how to navigate my way through most user-friendly programs. With this said, there are still many new programs my children use that I have not. I definitely depend on technology daily--I text, search the Internet, listen to my Ipod, check my email--the list goes on. I currently use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) and Internet Explorer. When I try to explain to my children that when I was a kid, I turned our TV channel with a pair of pliers (yes, we had the broken knob for years), they give me a blank stare. I love the advances we have made in technology!
After reading through the College of Education's Mission Statement, I would have to say that it is similar in several ways to my own philosophy. I consider myself to have a love of learning and helping others learn. I also have an appreciation for all types of children coming from many different situations. I think everyone should have the opportunity to learn and I want to share this with my future students. In conclusion, yes the College of Education's Mission Statement did influence my decision to attend CSUSM, as it is aligned with my own way of thinking.
