"Mini" Me Autobiography

This blog is part of an inservice course that I'm taking called, "Tech Sandbox: Discover, Play, and Engage with the Newest Edtech Tools". The title pretty much sums up what I'll be writing about so sit back, read, and enjoy!

My full name is: Mary K. Klucznik and I've been at Chittenango High school since 1999. The Chittenango School District has one high school located in the village of Chittenango for grades 9 - 12.

Teaching and librarianship was not my first career. I hold a B.S. in Social Work from SUNY Brockport. After college I worked for a waste removal company, yes -- a garbage company for a little over 10 years. I started out in Boston working as a collections clerk aka a bill collector! It was a great opportunity to learn on the job skills and the company paid for any course work I was willing to take. As a result I rose through the ranks very quickly and eventually succeeded in becoming an Accounting Manager, overseeing my own district. Several opportunities happened as a result and I eventually transitioned to a Sales and Marketing management position and work with companies providing solid waste, recycling, medical and hazardous waste services.

Teaching and working in libraries was always at the back of my mind but when you're 17 years old, what do you know? At that age you never listen to your parents, especially your mother (sorry mom!) who recommended SUNY Geneseo's library program. As much as I enjoyed accounting, finance, and marketing I felt that I wanted something more. That there was a greater good that I could be a part of. I guess my ability to research is natural because I investigated all sorts of careers in the field of information science and landed on school librarianship because I wanted to be with people, especially students. There is just something about this population that tugs at my heart and perhaps I feel a little bit like a gardener, planting the seeds that will grow into something amazing.

This professional development opportunity simply sounded like fun and I knew that I would walk away with ONE tool that I could put into practice, immediately. My favorite tech tool is using Quicktime or Screencastify to make a quick tutorial for a student or teacher because it can help people figure out how to do something quickly.

Each of the photos below have a story to tell so of you're ever in the land of Oz, drop by, I'll pour us a cup of java and I'll tell you a tale or two.