Karen Truesdell

Hi! My name is Karen Truesdell. I will be starting my 10th year teaching at Milpitas High next year. Time flies! Go Trojans :) I am looking forward to continuing to teach mainstream and sheltered Biology as well as moving into the Senior year with my AVID class.
I am experiencing a “ten year itch” to learn all I can this summer about tech. TIme to shake things up a bit--time to be more computer literate to bring my classroom up to the times and implement as much as I can next year. I have several colleagues incorporating various tech into the classroom with great results. I also have seen first hand through my student teacher and my own incorporation of slide shows how effective it can be. I am jazzed to be more savvy and capable. And I am looking forward to collaborating with all of you! Sounds like we have a great group of folks in this program.
Speaking of spending time with good people...I am getting married this summer on the 8th of August. I can’t wait to see all my friends and family in one place! I am giddy with the preparation and excited to see how it all turns out--kind of like trying a lab with the kids for the first time, but we only get to do this one once and it is a bit larger scale. We kind of see this as a huge family reunion...I cannot wait. I am not by nature very patient :)
I am however, a very visual person...I have to “see what you are saying”. My instruction is heavy on labs, activities, hands-on lectures, and analogy for this reason. I love teaching Biology because it is rich with experience and it is okay to make mistakes. I think the problem solving aspect makes playing so much more fun.
Speaking of playing...I like to play outside the classroom, too. I love to hike, camp, scuba dive (just a few times, now) snowboard, garden (this one is new) and hang out at the aquarium. June, July, and August are ripe for new experiences.
Happy Summer everyone. I can’t wait to meet you in a few weeks! Cheers!!