Bob Wortman

Bob Wortman says, "I have always wanted to teach. Originally I was going to teach high school social studies, but was talked into elementary education by a friend. Then I was going to teach fifth or sixth grade, but a professor talked me into doing teaching with a fantastic second-grade teacher. It was great."

Bob is not afraid to admit that he loves teaching because it's all about him. "I loved being loved by kids and parents. The trust and support you feel when you are responsible for kids' learning is so supportive and always made me focus on the best interest of the kids."

Bob is currently a full-time associate lecturer in language reading and culture at the University of Arizona. His areas of specialty are reading instruction with quality literature and supporting struggling readers.

When it comes to professional development, he has been inspired by Brian Cambourne's Conditions of Learning and his own experience as a classroom teacher. "You need some whole-group, some small-group, and some individual experiences. Whole-group experiences give a staff or learning group a common experience to learn and collaborate around, to build community. Small groups are important because everyone is at a different place in their learning and individual learning because everyone has specific interests they want to pursue. Tied to all of this is group and individual choice within parameters and building a culture in which everyone can say they are able to learn something new. A culture that is 'green and growing,' not 'ripe and rotten.'"