Brandon Gerba

gerba14@yahoo.com

Where I've Been

I was born and raised in Monongahela, Pennsylvania.  I have spent my entire life in Monogahela, and still live there today. Over the past few years I've graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Pa.  One of the most interesting thigns that has happened to me would have to be the 2 years I spent competing as a Steer wrestler in rodeo competitions.  After graduation I spent close to 2 years as a day to day substitiute teacher in various school districts near my hometown.  Then last year I was hired as a year long substitute for a teacher on leave and then I was hired full time this past July at E.F. High School.

My Life as an Educator

My teaching style would best be described as student centered with alot of teacher guiding.  I like to give my students the freedom to discuss topics on their own and debate about social issues facing not only them but the entire world.  I have been teaching the past 4 years.  I think that my favorite grade and subject would be my 10th grade American History class.  Throughout this past year one of my favorite lessons was entitled "Create Your Civilization".  After completing several activities and lessons about the creation of the early civilizations throughout the world the students worked in groups to create their own civilization.  They had to pick a location, qualities of a good leader, draw a simple diagram of their village, and then write a conclusion discussing their choices for each of the situations.  One lesson that went horribly was when I attempted to have my students create Power Point presentations.  They all had sufficient background knowledge in the topics and the software, but when the portable lab would not connect to our school network the entire lesson went down the drain.  The only thing they could do was create slides and place information on them, but they couldn't get any pictures, songs or videos.  Needless to say I had them scratch the diea and create a plain art project for their visual aid and forget their work on the computers! 

When I'm Not Working...

When I'm not teaching I take part in a large number of activities.  I'm the kind of person that never seems to take a break.  After school and in the summers I like to play basketball, soccer, football, ski, bowl, hunt, fish, and play my guitar.  Recently I've gotten to spend a lot of time with my new nephew, named Zachary.  I also like to hang out with my friends, listen to music, and watch movies.  Some of my favorites kinds of music are classic rock, alternative, and metal, with the ocassional country and rap song mixed in.  I love just about any comedy movie, but lately I haven't been able to make it to a theater.  I have also recently been hired assisntant girls soccer coach at my school, so my free time has diminshed a bit from where it used to be.  And if I'm not doing any of the above mentioned activities you could find me working out at the local YMCA.

Web Sites I Like

Here are a few of my favorite sites:

•  Google Earth: Every Social Studies teacher should use this!   
• Espn: Every sports fan's best friend
• Lesson Plans: Great resource if you ever need some new ideas
• World Factbook: Great up to date resource for country info