Who Am I and Why Am I here?
My name is Neal Austin Smith III, but I go by Austin. That can make things somewhat confusing, especially for my students and their parents since my school e-mail address uses Austin, but my name is listed as Neal on their schedules and report cards.
I went to college at the University of Georgia where I majored in journalism then earned a masters in sports communications with intentions of working for a sports team. The reality of that proposition was not nearly as fulfilling as I had hoped, so I turned to a passion from my time in college:teaching. I started out as a Language Arts teacher at Pike County High School in Zebulon, Georgia. While I was in Pike County, I also earned a masters in Secondary English Education. After two years there, the call of the North Georgia Mountains, where I grew up, became too strong and I left teaching for a year to open a small restaurant with my sister.
Again, it did not take long for the teaching bug to bite again, and I left my sister with the restaurant and made a move to Cobb County which has the right balance between the mountains and the city to keep me happy. I spent three years as a special education teacher at Simpson Middle School. I taught Language Arts, Social Studies, and Math in that time. I also became involved with the technology club and started a web design club that finished in the top three in the state in two different design competitions. Following my third year at Simpson, I was offered the opportunity to help start a STEM program.
For the the past five years, I have served as a STEM-technology teacher. I teach two classes in each of the three middle grade levels, and even though I've been at this for a couple of years, I'm still adjusting to teaching in the connections department. That said, I'm passionate about teaching my students how to use new technologies efficiently and responsibly. In class I teach everything from the basics of engineering to the safe use of tools to robotics and 3D printing. I also serve as the coach of our school's First Lego League team and BEST robotics teams.
Because of that passion for technology, I also worked toward and earned an Educational Specialist degree in Instructional Technology. My resume is posted at the bottom of the page in case you're interested.
The real reason I'm here is to help others. When I started teaching technology and engineering, I didn't really know what I was doing, and I found ideas for lessons in a lot of different places. In many, if not most, cases, I modified what I found to fit my needs and my particular teaching style. The results are posted here along with my own reflections on the lesson.
The lesson reflections are my own selfish way of trying to figure out what I can do to make my teaching better. If you would like more information about one of my lessons, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
I went to college at the University of Georgia where I majored in journalism then earned a masters in sports communications with intentions of working for a sports team. The reality of that proposition was not nearly as fulfilling as I had hoped, so I turned to a passion from my time in college:teaching. I started out as a Language Arts teacher at Pike County High School in Zebulon, Georgia. While I was in Pike County, I also earned a masters in Secondary English Education. After two years there, the call of the North Georgia Mountains, where I grew up, became too strong and I left teaching for a year to open a small restaurant with my sister.
Again, it did not take long for the teaching bug to bite again, and I left my sister with the restaurant and made a move to Cobb County which has the right balance between the mountains and the city to keep me happy. I spent three years as a special education teacher at Simpson Middle School. I taught Language Arts, Social Studies, and Math in that time. I also became involved with the technology club and started a web design club that finished in the top three in the state in two different design competitions. Following my third year at Simpson, I was offered the opportunity to help start a STEM program.
For the the past five years, I have served as a STEM-technology teacher. I teach two classes in each of the three middle grade levels, and even though I've been at this for a couple of years, I'm still adjusting to teaching in the connections department. That said, I'm passionate about teaching my students how to use new technologies efficiently and responsibly. In class I teach everything from the basics of engineering to the safe use of tools to robotics and 3D printing. I also serve as the coach of our school's First Lego League team and BEST robotics teams.
Because of that passion for technology, I also worked toward and earned an Educational Specialist degree in Instructional Technology. My resume is posted at the bottom of the page in case you're interested.
The real reason I'm here is to help others. When I started teaching technology and engineering, I didn't really know what I was doing, and I found ideas for lessons in a lot of different places. In many, if not most, cases, I modified what I found to fit my needs and my particular teaching style. The results are posted here along with my own reflections on the lesson.
The lesson reflections are my own selfish way of trying to figure out what I can do to make my teaching better. If you would like more information about one of my lessons, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].