Hello everyone! My name is Anna Waitz. I am an academic counselor and teacher education specialist for University of Phoenix Online. I work primarily with students who are pursing their teaching certification, which is very interesting and certainly never has a dull moment. It is a great position and I love helping students reach their educational goals of becoming a teacher!
Before I came to UOP I taught music at the elementary level. I did not enjoy it at all; it was too stressful for me, and felt more like baby-sitting than teaching music. I also needed a job where I was not on my feet all day, since I have had several knee surgeries. So my current job is perfect; no little kids running around, just dealing with adults who want to go to school and become a teacher themselves. That is why I am interested in a Master’s in Adult Education; I think I would be more comfortable teaching at a community college level or even via online, and look forward to returning to the teaching profession someday in an adult setting.
A little background about me- I was born in Los Angeles, California, but moved to Phoenix when I was four years old. I screamed and cried when I arrived in the heat in July, and I haven’t stopped since! I’ve always been a baby about the hot weather, and someday I plan to move to cooler pastures. I do not like the fact that it is already 90 degrees here and its only April! I have four younger siblings; the youngest is fifteen years younger than me. I grew up as a second mom to them and that is still very much in my nature. I am very close to my family, which is why I have not moved away from Phoenix yet. I went to Flagstaff to attend Northern Arizona University for my Bachelor’s in Music Education, and then returned back home.
That brings me to the present, where my husband and I have been married 4 years, and recently moved into our first house. I still love music, and enjoy singing and playing the piano. I try to stay involved in music by taking choir and Music Theater at the local community college. I have also started teaching piano lessons again and currently have three students! I am curious if I can somehow incorporate music into a distance learning program, and figured this is the degree to find out. I am very clueless on how to build web pages and look forward to learning with everyone.