Heading out for a dive on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

Personal Bio - Sean Gardinier

• I grew up in the community of San Pedro, which is in the harbor area (south bay) of the City of Los Angeles. I was involved with Boy Scouts during my junior high and high school (San Pedro High School) years. At the same time, I began working on summer staff at Camp Emerald Bay on the west end of Santa Catalina Island. It was there that I began teaching science.
• Emerald Bay and Catalina Island have been a huge part of my life and I am still involved with the camp today. There, I taught science classes and other scouting skills. I coordinated and directed activities for hundreds of scouts. I also directed a rugged adventure program that was strictly for older teens.
• Living on an island for many summers further fueled my passion for learning more about our natural environment. I went to college at the University of California at Santa Barbara with a double major in Environmental Studies and Geography. When I graduated, I was well rounded in the sciences along with gaining valuable technical computer skills.
• Out of UCSB, I went back to teaching, again in the outdoors. I taught 5th and 6th grade with the Los Angeles County Outdoor Science School at Colby Ranch. The school was situated in the wilderness among the San Gabriel Mountains.
• After two years teaching in the wilderness, I decided to go back to school and begin classroom teaching. I went to Claremont Graduate University where I studied education and teaching more closely; earning my Master’s degree in Education and a teaching credential.
• I taught the 5th grade for two years at Lee School in Azusa, California.
• Soon after I began teaching, I became engaged to Michelle and decided to move to San Diego. Michelle is currently a molecular biology PhD student at the University of California at San Diego and works in the Dowdy Lab, Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
• In San Diego, I began teaching 8th grade physical science at Correia Middle School. I taught 8th grade for 3 years at Correia.
• During a summer break, I participated in a teacher internship at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla. I worked on chemistry research, with the wonderful Finn Research Group, involving measuring heat flow with a micro-calorimeter on different concentrations of a special reaction with copper. This research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
• I currently teach 7th grade advanced algebra and life science at Correia Middle School. I also teach a 7th grade mathematics intervention class. Lastly, my passion for developing technology integrated curriculum is highly evident in my day-to-day teaching.

Education - Sean Gardinier

Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies and Geography - University of California, Santa Barbara - 2000

Master of Arts, Education - Claremont Graduate University - 2003

Professional Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential - Claremont Graduate University - 2003

Awards/Recognitions/Publications - Sean Gardinier

Journal of The American Chemical Society, 2007 - Benzimidazole and Related Ligands for Cu-Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition

Super Service Recognition Award, San Diego City Schools, 2007

Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair Teacher of the Year, 2007

Correia Middle School Teacher of the Year, 2007

Master’s Thesis, Claremont Graduate University, 2003 - An Ethnographic Adventure

Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America

Activities/Hobbies - Sean Gardinier

I enjoy the following activities:

Pictures

ALL IMAGES © Sean Gardinier

My wife, Michelle, and I.

Backpacking with Michelle in the San Gabriel Mountains.

With Michelle at Kaneohe Bay in Oahu, Hawaii

After completing the Wonderland Trail (12 days and 100 miles) with Michelle.

Snowboarding with Michelle at Mammoth.

My baby photo!

Teaching science in the San Gabriel Mountains.

SCUBA Diving in Bonaire.

Diving with Andrew in Bonaire.

Cliff Jumping on Catalina Island.

Canoeing through a seacave on Catalina Island.

At the Capitol Building in Washington DC.

Chemistry Research at TSRI.

TSRI - The Scripps Research Institue

Click Here to View More Images in My Gallery

WebSites - Sean Gardinier

SeanGardinier.com - My official home page.

MrG-Online.com - My 8th Grade Physical Science website. This was my first site and currently sits as a resource for other teachers.

CorreiaSeminar.com - An online portal for students in my class and is shared with several other teachers.

CorreiaTeachers.com - A topic forum based community for staff and teachers at my school to collaborate.

Contact - Sean Gardinier

EMAIL: This is probably the easiest way to reach me. My school email address is: sgardinier@sandi.net. Be warned, our school district has a strong spam filter and not all mail gets through.

SKYPE: On the left sidebar on this page, you will see “Contact Me On Skype!” I generally leave my Skype on while in the classroom and at home. You can call me, chat, or leave a chat message or voicemail on my Skype.

FORUMS: Students that have a general question can ask them in the CorreiaSeminar.com question forum. You must be logged in to the Forums in order to view and post in this area. The great part about this is that other students will get to read your question and my response. Other students might even answer your question for you before I even see it!

PHONE: As a last resort, you could call my classroom. The classroom phone number is (619) 222-0476 x4305. You will not be able to get through during school hours and will be directed to voicemail. No audible clues on our school phone tell me that I have a voicemail waiting so it can take significantly longer to return your phone call.

Success

To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty and find the best in others;

to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived–

this is to have succeeded.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson (debated)

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