Mr. Thomas' Brainiaks by Ray Thomas https://padlet.com/ray_thomas/classroom_mgmt This is a work in progress where I'll share information on the journey to fine tune my mad skills for classroom management. en-us 2015-01-13 05:54:10 UTC 2015-01-19 05:12:18 UTC hello@padlet.com Ray Thomas: Personal ray_thomas https://padlet.com/ray_thomas/classroom_mgmt/wish/45917879 I’m a people person. My friends and future friends make the world a better place.  And because of that there’s something interesting in everything and a story in everyone!  No matter how many times I see something there’re always countless ways to see it fresh. I hope you see something, here, that speaks to you and if you do I’d love to hear from you.

I live in Goodyear, Arizona, with my wife Rebecca and a cockatiel named Rudy (who doesn't know he's a bird.

]]> 2015-01-13 05:54:31 UTC https://padlet.com/ray_thomas/classroom_mgmt/wish/45917879 Ray Thomas: Personal ... more ray_thomas https://padlet.com/ray_thomas/classroom_mgmt/wish/46526255 I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and grew up in the South End of the City.  At the age of four, I remember saying that I wanted to be a photographer when I grew up … and so it began.  I was photographing anything and everything whenever some brave soul would hand me a camera.I later became a photographer for the St. Francis DeSales High School yearbook (The Colt) and worked in a camera store (Murphy’s Camera Center — a wonderful family) to earn money for college.  I graduated from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green (guided by Mike Morse, Jack Corn, Bob Adams and a host of really great mentors) with a bachelor’s in photojournalism (working on The Herald and Talisman staffs).  I had a photography internship with Tennessee Valley Authority at Golden Pond (really — just like the movie) and after graduation I apprenticed with multiple Pulitzer Prize winner Bill Strode (taken too soon) as he worked on stories for National Geographic, Time, Fortune and Town and Country magazines and many others.  I filled my spare time freelancing for the Louisville Courier Journal and Times until joining Uncle Sam’s Canoe Club, aka the Navy, as a journalist/photojournalist on an admiral’s public affairs staff in Maine.  Luckily that led to awesome assignments, travel and work in some really cool places -- like the North Pole, Iceland, Greenland, the British Isles, the Azores, Bermuda, and all over Europe.  While in Maine I also moonlighted as a staff photojournalist with the local newspaper in Brunswick (The Times Record).

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I worked with really awesome people and feel that some of the best people anyone can ever meet are in the United States military.  After the Navy we moved to San Diego and I went in a different direction — techno-geek — and I remained thus, embracing my inner nerd-ness.  We moved to Phoenix in 2000 and I rode the IT train until 2010. During that time in 2004 my wonderful wife suggested I get back into photojournalism (smart woman) and that led to me freelancing (thanks Owen Martin) my way into a staff position with the West Valley View, where I remain, today.  The View is an outstanding, award winning community newspaper filling a great need for informing and entertaining southwest Phoenix. Since then I’ve met and developed really great friendships with other photographers in the Valley and am proud to call them family.

]]> 2015-01-19 04:28:54 UTC https://padlet.com/ray_thomas/classroom_mgmt/wish/46526325 Ray Thomas: Hello ray_thomas https://padlet.com/ray_thomas/classroom_mgmt/wish/46526346 I am concurrently teaching 3rd grade for the second year, photographing for the West Valley View newspaper as a staff photojournalist, and going to school full time. Yeeehaw!

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