I have had a passion for education since the beginning of my undergraduate studies and this led me to complete a bachelor�s of science degree with a double major in history/social science and education from Southern Connecticut State University. Most of my teaching experience at that time was gained from working and volunteering in local, inner-city schools. It was here that I realized the importance of technology in the classroom, as my students seemed to be naturally drawn to the few computers that they had at their disposal. These were very rewarding and educational years that helped mold me as a teacher.
Soon after graduating cum laude, I embarked on a four-year journey through Southeast Asia. I spent most of those years in Thailand as both a teacher and a student. I lived and worked in the foothills of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for about three years, spent a fair amount of time working in the rural northeastern provinces, and spent the last of those years working in the urban metropolis of Central Bangkok.
My experience ranged from teaching hill tribe children in Chiang Mai the very basics of the English language to instructing corporate executives in Bangkok how to refine their business communication skills. In between these two extremes, I taught English to young Thai children, teenagers, and university students. I also worked with some of the most prestigious universities throughout Thailand in a variety of projects involving teaching English, teacher training and preparing students to study abroad. My main role at all of these institutions was to provide academic writing instruction to lecturers seeking to obtain an MA, MS or Ph.D. in a foreign university.
My life as a student in Thailand was spent learning both the spoken and the written aspects of the Thai language. I consider myself to be a proficient speaker of the language and a modest reader and writer. I am currently studying the language under a private tutor and hope to someday be able to bring my language skills up to the level of fluency.
I have been back in the United States for almost a year now and am now the coordinator of Project Read in Norwalk, Connecticut. This program is sponsored by the Connecticut Court Support Services Division and is designed to provide an education to those unable to complete high school. Our primary focus is to enable our clients to obtain their GED or to mainstream them back into the public school system. I am in charge of all curriculum writing, material development and teaching.
My experience as the head teacher of this program has proven the value and importance of media and technology to education. The student population I deal with usually suffers from a myriad of learning disabilities and behavioral problems. They are extremely unmotivated and have a track record of failure in traditional educational settings. Until recently, the students in my program were chronically late or absent and were prone to disciplinary problems. They also had a great deal of trouble concentrating on assignments and were usually unable to complete them. I decided that an alternative approach was necessary to reach this population.
In order to achieve the results I desired, I knew a deep, fundamental change had to occur in the format of my program. It was brought it to the attention of our funding sources that I believed that the infusion of technology in my program would achieve greater results. We requested funding from the State of Connecticut to transform my program into a �digital classroom.� We received $13,000 but was able to use this meager funding to add computers, high-speed Internet connections, cutting-edge software applications and a library of educational videos to my classroom and transform it into a place where students yearn to be a part of. As a result, absences have been cut by almost 75% and disciplinary problems are now negligible. GED test scores have risen markedly as has overall academic ability. Students are now motivated and eager to be a part of a program that they once disdained.
I hope Project Read can continue to grow and be successful in these times of budget cuts and lay-offs as we provide an essential service for a segment of our population that has a tendency to slip through the cracks.
Michael Koronkiewicz
Project Read
98 South Main Street
Norwalk Connecticut 06854
Phone - (203) 899 - 2473
Fax - (203) 899 - 2430
email - [email protected]
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