Teacher+Bio

= Teacher Bio: = Hi! My name is Linda O'Dwyer and I am a 7th Grade Social Studies teacher at Parker Junior High School in Flossmoor. I have been teaching at Parker Junior High since 2006. I graduated summa cum laude with my Bachelors Degree in History/Secondary Education from St. Xavier University, and earned a Masters in Education at St. Xavier University with a Teacher Leadership endorsement in 2009. My action research project focused on Developing Literacy in Content Area Classes, which I incorporate into my pedagogy. I also serve as an Instructional Coach in Flossmoor School District 161.

I have lived in Homewood for over 24 years, naturally making the Homewood/Flossmoor community dear to me. I have two sons who successfully attended HF High School and have both graduated college. Some of my hobbies include: reading, cycling, running, volleyball, skiing, kayaking, sports fan (BEARS, BLACKHAWKS, BULLS, & SOX FAN), and taking care of my bulldog Tyson.

During my summers, I try to attend professional development workshops to enhance my content knowledge. Over the past few years, I have been fortunate enough to travel to Washington, DC twice; Philadelphia, PA; Clemson University, SC; Springfield, IL; Cantigny Park in Wheaton,IL; Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, IL; San Diego, CA, and Los Angeles, CA. This past summer I hit the trifecta and travelled to Boulder, Co, Monterrey, Ca, and was selected to participate in a Gilder Lehrman Seminar hosted at the University of Cambridge in England. I have included some pictures/videos of some of my trips to share.

Philadelphia, 2007 media type="youtube" key="1I971smmrwU" height="367" width="553" align="center"

Springfield, IL 2008 media type="youtube" key="hJ_JVHmLJOM?fs=1" height="385" width="480" align="center"

Washington, DC 2008/2009 media type="youtube" key="dbx9n4wwB6w" height="368" width="584" align="center"

Here is a YouTube video of a workshop that I attended July, 2010 in San Diego, at the Maritime Museum. The workshop discussed the Spanish Exploration of the West Coast and the Discovery of California. We also learned about navigation and sailing. Our culminating event was a working day on board The Californian Tall Ship, which was truly unforgettable! The video is a collection of the various workshops and activities, including the sail. FYI, I am on the video around 6:53. Thanks for your interest!

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