• Welcome to my Webpage for the 2018-2019 school year! Thank you for your interest in my courses and in me as a teacher.  
     
    Here is a little bit about myself and where I come from .....
    I graduated from Trenton State College, now known as The College of New Jersey, ...let's just say a long long time ago :).  At that time, I graduated with a major in Biology and a minor in Psychology.  I entered the corporate world of consumer products working in everything from Research and Development, to Formulation, to Industrial Microbiology, to Purchasing, and also supply management.  Although I did love my job, there was always something missing, something in my heart that was never fulfilled...so I decided to make a turn on my life journey and teaching biology in high school via the alternate route program.
     
    It has always been my true passion to teach, and when I was in college, I originally started as a teaching major...honestly, I don't feel that one ever really knows what she want's to do or her life passion until she experiences life, trials and tribulations of the journey, and a learning that does not come from books or school but from just experiencing everyday living.  
     
    This is why, after many years in corporate, I went through alternate route to get my teaching degree and since then have never looked back.  It has been one of the major moves later in my life which made it scary but fascinating; it is something I am most proud of in my journey.  
     
    I love my students, I love my profession, and I continue to express my passion for helping others grow and experience the real world through education and teaching.  I have been with Pompton Lakes High School now for over seven years, and it has provided me with a rewarding and diverse experience, full of meaning and purpose.
     
    I have just finished my Masters in Integrated Curriculum with a focus in Special Education and my plan is to pursue a second master's very soon.  My love to educate others has only helped to increase my own love to learn and continue to grow...because in my opinion...when you stop learning, you stop living.   There is something to learn from everyone every single day and my passion for acknowledging that is what led me into this profession to begin with.  
     
     
    I teach Honors Biology, Academic Biology, Integrated Science, and AP Environmental Science here in Pompton Lakes.  My assignments for all chapters are posted to Google Classroom and my grades are incorporated into Powerschool so that parents can view how their child is performing in my class.  I encourage all parents to view Powerschool every two weeks. 
     
    In addition to teaching science, I am the advisor of the Health and Wellness Coalition Club (H.A.W.C.) whose mission it is to encourge students and others in the community to live a positive and healthly lifestyle free from drugs and alcohol.  This club has grown significantly in the past five years since it started and I am looking forward to another successful year.
     
    Additionally, I am the co-advisor of the Interact club whose mission it is to help those in need and to acknowledge and understand the differences between us that make us more common as human beings.  
     
    Also, I am the ticket collector and work security at the boys' and girls' basketball games which enables me to show the students my "human" side :) and that my enjoyments include watching sports and helping with other activities in addition to teaching.  
     
    Finally, I am a detention monitor where I assure all students report to and follow rules during detention.
     
    Every year, I challege my students to think differently, to be more metacognitive, to think in many different ways leading to not only understanding different subjects and the way they are taught, but to understanding one another more and our differences that really help to make use more similar.  
     
    I hope from what I have written above, that you have a better view of me as a teacher and as a person in general.  I have all of my classes on Google classroon, and my students utilize it daily.  Additionally, I incorporate a myriad of technologies into my classroom including but not limited to Google Classroom, Desmos, Sparks, etc.  My goal is to keep up with the technologies of today and to incorporate such technologies into my classroom to assure they are on track for their futures, but also my goal is to continue to also assure that the students can analyze and evaluate concepts on their own, freely, without reliance on such technologies.
     
    Thank you,
    Gineen Ricciardelli
    Gineen.Ricciardelli@plps.org