About Me

            My name is Krista Mullen and I've taught U.S. and World History at Tri-City Christian Schools for 10 years.  Teaching suits me because I always enjoyed being in school; however, after college it took me quite awhile to realize I belonged in the classroom.  I was born in California while my dad was stationed here in the Air Force.  Six months later, discharged by Uncle Sam, my folks moved back to their home state of Ohio where I attended school for kindergarten and first grade.  Apparently the West Coast had gotten into my parents' blood, because when I was 7 they packed up the kids (my brother was 4 at that time), left all the relatives and drove cross country back to California.  We settled in Garden Grove (Orange County) which was an ideal place to raise a family in the mid-1970s and 1980s.  I went to Garden Grove HS and graduated as Valedictorian before heading on to USC in 1984.  When I graduated from USC with a BA in International Relations and History, my parents suggested I consider teaching.  Oh, no! I thought -- that's definitely not exciting or glamorous enough!!  I wanted to travel and meet people and do something important, so I planned to work at the UN or in an embassy somewhere.  At this point I met my husband, fell in love, got married...and decided to travel for fun, not work, so I could bring him along.  For the next 12 years I was a stay-home mom using that college

My husband & I on our
25th Anniversary!

degree to raise three fabulously bright and internationally aware children (uh, huh! Right!).   Once my kids got into school I was ready to go back to work and after a few years in interior design, I found myself with the opportunity to be able to spy on my kids and use my education skills: I got a job teaching 7th grade History at their school.  I've always been a voracious reader, a bit of a perfectionist with slight over-achiever tenancies, and (until recently) I've had a great memory for all sorts of facts and trivia.  These abilities contributed to my success in high school and college and have also been very helpful over the last 10 years as I've taken classes to work (slowly!) on earning my CA Teaching Credential.


                 I have an ambivalent relationship with technology.  While I enjoy the convenience and ease of access to so much information, I am often overwhelmed by the terminology, the rapid advances in equipment, and the time needed to continually learn about the newest things.  All through college, research involved actually going to the library, looking through a giant card catalog full of typed 3x5 index cards, and (hopefully) tracking down the books somewhere in 9 stories of labyrinthine library stacks!  Writing a paper meant using a pencil and a college-ruled notebook for drafts, then typing it all out on a whiz-bang electric typewriter!

 

The typewriter I used for all
my college writing/papers.

Our first computer -- we went for
the more edgy amber letters.

During my last semester   we had to take a computer skills class where they showed us "the future":  a great new program for word processing called WordStar.  The big questions when we bought our first computer in 1988 was what color the words on the black screen would be -- blue or amber!  My students can't comprehend that the black screen with messages (which you see now only when your computer is in dire trouble) use to be all there was!  While the amazing technological developments of the last 20 years have definitely made certain aspects of our lives easier, they've also brought changes that I'm not sure I like.   To me, the small of books assembled in a beautiful library, along with the feel of the pages under my fingertips and the weight of the volume in my hands is a wonderful part of the information-gathering process.    In contrast, Kindles, Nooks, and e-zines seem cold and impersonal.  Cursive writing is a lost skill for anyone under 16 and I believe it's too early to fully evaluate the effects of social networking sites and constant text messaging on the next generation.   I know my students' understanding of technology's role and importance is completely different than mine and I'm willing to try bridging that gap by using technology in the classroom.    However, my initial attempts to add technology to my lessons have left me feeling that I've sacrificed content for cool gadgets and probably wasted time I couldn't afford.  I am looking for hands-on instruction (explained in English for the non-computer geek) and ways to make the new technology relevant to the curriculum. 


                    "The mission of the School of Education Community is to collaboratively transform 
                    public education by preparing thoughtful educators and advancing professional 
                    practices.   We are committed to diversity, educational equity, and social justice, 
                    exemplified through reflective teaching, life-long learning, innovative research 
                    and ongoing service.  Our practices demonstrate a commitment to student-centered 
                    education, diversity, collaboration, professionalism, and shared governance."


     I thought the SOE mission statement was interesting, but it was not a factor when I enrolled for classes at CSUSM.  I applaud the school for realizing that a small group of motivated individuals working together can transform public education.  The ideals listed are admirable, but I'm surprised that "educational quality" is not one of them (perhaps that goal is just a given?). The two habits of mind which stand out to me are:
     life-long learning -- for it's relevance to my own situation
     as well as by belief that learning and intellectual growth 
     are essential in human life and
     professionalism -- which to means means always striving to
     do one's very best, respecting self and others, and moving
     through life with grace and purpose.