Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc.
1106 Meridian Plaza, Suite 220 • Anderson, IN 46016
(888) 524 - 4724 Voice • (765) 608-3290 FAX
mailbag@apologia.com • http://www.apologia.com
Quality Science Curriculum for the
Five years ago, my
company made the decision to teach junior high and high school science courses
over the internet. These courses meet once each week for 90 minutes in a
videoconference format. Each class holds 15 students and a teacher. The
students see video of the teacher, and everyone has a microphone so that it is
truly an interactive classroom setting. When we began interviewing teachers for
these online classes, we were concerned. After all, such classes present unique
challenges to even the best of teachers.
Since the classes
meet only once per week, the teacher must be very good at deciding what the
students can learn on their own and what must be
covered explicitly in class. Also, even though the class is a true
videoconference, it is still not as effective as being in the same room with
the students. Thus, a teacher in such a
setting must be able to communicate his enthusiasm for the subject, even though
he is not there in person. Finally, it is hard enough for a teacher to keep
track of what he is covering, maintain order in the classroom, and answer
questions from the students. In an internet class, the teacher must also
continually deal with the technology that makes the class work. Such a teacher,
then, must be a true multitasker.
When I first
interviewed Steve Rosenoff (using the same software that the classroom uses), I
realized right away that he was a perfect fit. First, despite the fact that he
was not there in person, his enthusiasm and love for the material was evident.
Second, he was able to answer tough questions from me without being distracted
by the technology. Most importantly, however, he had a great way of making even
difficult concepts easy to understand.
For five years now,
Steve has been teaching general science (with an emphasis on human anatomy),
physical science, and general biology. He teaches a total of 11 classes per
week, servicing 165 students. In addition, he spends 5 hours per week answering
“help line” questions from other students who use our curriculum but are not
enrolled in the internet classes. Despite the fact that he has so many students
and responsibilities, he gives each student personal attention. I can’t tell
you how many e-mails our company has received from both parents and students
singing his praises.
Steve Rosenoff’s
combination of superior teaching abilities, true love of the subjects he
teaches, and the ability to multitask make him one of the best teachers with
whom I have ever worked. Those same
qualities will make him a superior graduate student. As a result, I recommend
him wholeheartedly for the Master of Education program.
Dr. Jay L. Wile
CEO and founder
Apologia
Educational Ministries
From a Parent:
Dear Mr. Rosenoff,
During the
2005-2006 school year, our son, Andrew (AndrewL2), was
one of your high school Biology students through The Potter's School. I
was a little worried at the beginning of the year as to how he would do due to
the level of work expected and his dislike of the subject.
We were pleasantly
surprised and pleased. Under your tutelage, Andrew stepped up to the plate,
studied hard, took care with experiments, learned to do a great job with the
experiment write-ups, etc.
We want to thank
you for aiding us as home school parents in educating our son. Andrew
thoroughly enjoyed your class. We know he is well prepared for future science
classes in high school and college. Thank you!
In Him,
Steve and Claire
Larsen
From a Student:
