Introduction Letter

Hi, my name is Andy Folz and I am 26 years old. From Kindergarten all the way through high school I went to public schools in the Vista Unified School District. After high school graduation I split my time between Palomar college studying web design, and Mira Costa College completing my general education requirements. I came to CSUSM in the fall of 2007 and graduated in spring of 2009 with a degree in Visual Arts (arts and technology track.) I currently work full time at DC West Construction Inc, and decided to come back and obtain my teaching credentials.

I have been around computers my entire life, I remember playing games on the old Apple II-E in school. I am very comfortable on both the Mac and PC with my preference being Mac. I went to school to learn how to make web sites which I currently do as a side business. You can see a few I have created at www.andrewfolz.com. I also enjoy photography, graphic design, and video production; all of which I utilize my computer doing. I can't imagine my life with computers being a part of it.

I remember growing up and going to school all of the teachers who made it abundantly clear that they loved what they did and wanted to inspire children to learn. I also remember several teachers who while might have felt the same way, did not know how to communicate this with the students. The sentence in the COE Mission Statement that caught my eye is "transform public education by preparing thoughtful educators and advancing professional practices." I take this to mean that the school isn't just giving away credentials for the sake of it, they want to truly make thoughtful teachers who are going to engage their students in meaningful ways. While I had already decided to enroll in CSUSM's credential program prior to reading this mission statement, I feel very good about my decision having read it now.