Blog Post 1

My name is Evan Bailey and I am 26 years old.  I currently reside in Foley Alabama were I have been for most of my life.  I went to high school in Foley were I received what Dr. Strange calls a “burp back education.”  It was during my time at Foley High that I first decided to become a teacher and football coach.  I would always ask myself, “If you know were to find the answer, then why should you have memorize everything?”  

I have never had a very good memory, but I have always been able to do well on standardized tests.  It was this very capable skill that kept me afloat in high school.  I finished my high school career an average student that lacked the discipline needed for a college education.  I decided to explore the military as an option and decided that the Marine Corps would help me tremendously in this matter.

I joined the Marines in 2003 and shipped off to Parris Island South Carolina.  As it turned out, Marine Corps Recruit Training was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  When I graduated I felt as if I could conquer the world.  Next, I was sent to Jacksonville North Carolina to undergo infantry training.  The Marine Corps Infantry Training Battalion was not an enjoyable experience.  It included long days and nights of sleep deprivation, road marches, and weapons training.  I can remember nights in the bush that were so cold I would wake (if I slept at all) with ice sickles hanging from my combat helmet.  Finally, after graduation from ITB I was shipped to Indian Head Maryland and my final stop in the Corps.  I spent the remainder of my tour with the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force or C.B.I.R.F.  My unit was a first response force intended to be first on the scene in the event of a terrorist attack.  Overall, my experience in the Corps was a positive one, but after my tour was up I was eager to start my teaching and coaching career.  

I came home with the intentions of getting my degree in secondary education social science as well as getting caught up on contemporary football coaching.  I enrolled at Faulkner State Community College and took a volunteer position as offensive line coach at Foley Middle School.  My second season there we went undefeated and broke the single season team rushing record.  After having problems with the way things operated at Faulkner State, I decided to take online courses through Troy State University.  During these few years I got a job as the security manager of The Hangout in Gulf Shores Alabama where I met my wife.  After my second season at Foley Middle, I was called up to be an assistant with the varsity team at Foley High School.  My first season with the varsity we had an undefeated regular season.  We had Julio Jones and Robert Lester on that team who later went on to be "All Americans" at the University of Alabama.  Over the next 3 years I had the opportunity to coach many wonderful players including D.J. Fluker and his younger brother Leon.  Both D.J. and his brother are people of the highest character as well as being two of the largest men I have ever met.  

This past year I took a job as para-educator of a program for behavior deficient students at Foley High School.  I continued my studies online while teaching and coaching.  After I completed as many classes as I could online with Troy I quit my job and applied to The University of South Alabama to finish my bachelors degree.  

I look forward to earning my degree and starting my new career as a high school teacher.  I have traveled all over the United States and Europe and I hope to bring some of my cultural experiences into my classroom one day as a means of enhancing the learning experiences of my students.  EDM 310 is one of the many steps in that process.  I plan on gaining as much knowledge in terms of technology as I can.  My wife continues to support me in all my endeavors.  She is and always will be the light of my life.  

  

Time Management

Randy Pausch's video on time management has proven to be very informative.  He makes points on goals, priorities, and planning which are all very essential in time management.  I think goals are more long term where as priorities are short term.  It takes careful planning to reach goals and accomplish priorities.  He also talks about putting your focus on doing the right things versus doing things right.  I feel that this is one of the things I must constantly work on.  Finally, he says, "Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgement" thus is one of the things I have found that echoes throughout my own life.  I would recommend this video to all high school and college students who not only want to succeed, but excel in every aspect of their lives.