My name is James Clinger and I was born and raised in Yorba Linda, California. I attended private school my whole life until I came to San Marcos. My K-8 years were spent at Hephatha Lutheran School and I attended Orange Lutheran High School. In high school I played football and soccer. I was a much better at football player than soccer and received all league honors my senior year. I enjoy playing guitar and singing. I am in a bit of a country phase right now, but I would say my favorite genre is alternative rock. I consider myself a beer and whiskey advocate. I have tried over 300 beers and keep a bottle of each one. This clutters my house a little and my roommates do not really approve, but whatever. I hope to be a high school history teacher and also coach football.
I do not consider myself to be a tech guru, but I can navigate the web and facebook pretty well. My opinions on technology in the classroom are somewhat mixed. I realize the pros of using technology as a teaching tool, but I also am the kind of person that prefers reading a book as opposed to reading a kindle. I guess I am kind of traditional like that. One thing that I really liked about technology in learning was when my GEW Professor had our class work in groups to create a Blog for a character in the novel In the Time of the Butterflies. It was a great project and one I can see myself using as a future history teacher.
The mission statement of the College of Education was definitely a factor in my choosing to apply here as well as the professors I have had in my 350 and 361 classes. The fact that the CSUSM College of Ed focuses on social justice definitely is something I like. In my experiences tutoring foster children I could tell I was making a difference, not only helping the underprivileged foster student, but also changing my ideas about social issues and education.
James Clinger
