Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Mike Henrichs. I graduated from Peru State College in May 2010 with my degrees in Elementary Education. That fall I started working as a fourth grade teacher in Auburn, Nebraska. In the summer of 2015, I decided to go back to school to earn my Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. I’m so glad I did, because I love learning new things and working with other lifelong learners in education. I have learned many wonderful things since graduation, both in the classroom and through graduate courses, and plan to continue to absorb as much as possible before graduating in December.

As far as technology goes, I am definitely a Mac person. Working in a district that utilizes a lot of Apple products basically means that I have to be an Apple person or I won’t be able to fully use the equipment the district provides. On a day-to-day basis I use my MacBook Pro and iPad regularly. We use Google for e-mail and Google Docs to share information. I use Google Docs to organize my visitation logs and to access team agendas for our weekly meetings. I utilize quite a bit of technology with my students, as our district puts a lot of money toward the newest trends in educational technology. With my students, we have used Ipads, Ipods, Laptops, Clickers, Mimeos, and many other new and trending resources.

The best part about being with a school district is having access to the most up-to-date technology. I currently utilize the most recent versions of most programs. I’m using version 14.48 for MS Office. That’s also something nice about Apple, there’s always a notification when an update is available.

I chose to attend Peru State College for my Master’s degree because it’s my alma mater. I couldn’t imagine going any place else. I also got a scholarship to attend Peru State, which is paying for my entire Master’s degree (an amazing opportunity that helps me live on a teacher’s salary). My primary motivator for going back to school is to get better pay, as well as being a first generation college graduate. It is my hope that I can set a positive example for my 10-month-old son, Paxton in terms of furthering my education and becoming a lifelong learner. And of course, being close to bottoming out on the pay scale is motivation to continue working toward my masters, so I can keep moving in the right direction.