June Ann Dodge:  

In 1971 I went to the school counselor for a graduation course check and found out that by transferring out of drama (which was something I wanted to try) into psychology with Mr Decker I could graduate a year sooner. I thought about it overnight then told the counselor I would graduate early. During the spring I drove to Cal Poly Pomona to apply - I remember sitting in the office and filling out the form. When I came to the question about a major I asked the secretary for the names of some general majors as I really didn't know what degree to work toward. She suggested either Social Science or Language Arts - I picked the latter. After going to classes for a while a new major was offered and I transferred to it - Liberal Studies. To get that degree, I think I took the '101' version of almost all the departments - it was a good overview but there was not much depth. I did not spend my senior year in Pomona - instead I went to Sweden for my last year as an undergraduate. It was a wonderful program where students could attend classes in a foreign country and have all the classes transfer back to the home campus... That is a year I think of quite often - I wanted to stay longer but also wanted to start my teaching credential and make my own money, so left after a year and returned to Cal Poly Pomona for my first teaching credential. One of the professors switched to working for Cal State Fullerton and offered me a position in a Saturday Reading Lab - soon after working there - I started a master's degree program and got my degree in Secondary Reading through California State University Long Beach. Once I got my first teaching credential I worked in Temple City - while getting my masters and reading specialists credential I substituted and then worked at Santa Ana High School. Then I became interested in computers in the classroom and eventually that, rather than reading or students, became my focus. I was founding president of the Orange County affiliate of Computer-Using Educators and met the man who would become my husband (he was founding president of the San Diego affiliate of the same organization). We married July 1985 - got a house in San Diego and had a child in 1988. My husband is a professor at San Diego State University. Instead of pursuing my dreams of being a professor I stayed home with our son. We home schooled until high school - by that time I was 'Director of Technology and Curriculum' for a charter school that helped parents with home education. I was spending so much time working that I only went to our son's school 2 or 3 times that first year. Once his sophomore year started and the work was being piled on, I thought I'd never meet any of my son's friends or the other parents so I resigned my position and became active in the parent association. What fun to make friends and work on things with others! I helped the parent association with their website and email blasts (still do actually even though our son graduat...Expand for more