About Me

Greetings readers!  My name is Katherine Payne.  Here’s a little background info…

I started my school career at E. Hale Curran Elementary in Murrieta, Ca.  It was a great school apart from the fact that my mother worked there, which meant I couldn’t get away with anything.  The second I landed in trouble with a teacher I didn’t hear, “Go to the principal’s office!” but rather “Go see your mother, she’ll be expecting you.” …which is far more terrifying.  From there I graduated onto Shivela Middle School, and despite the normal pre-teen angst that normally comes along with these, the famous awkward years,  I had a wonderful time at that school.  Afterwards followed four fun years at Murrieta Valley High School, from where I graduated in 2008. 

As far as the technology continuum thing goes, I would say I keep up pretty well.  I am one of the few people in my house who thoroughly knows how to use all the remotes to the TV, DVD player, and speaker systems, which make me feel pretty technologically savvy even though this may not always be the case.  However, when I don’t know how to use a new-fangled piece of technology I can usually figure it out with a little play time and some trial and error.  Overall, I’d say I’m pretty comfortable with the whole situation and do enjoy learning about new programs and devices that could be helpful or fun to use.  My mother used to be a computer tech for my school district, and when a teacher had an issue with his or hers computer that was easily solvable (such as turning a surge protector on before trying to turn the computer on) she would simply say it’s an I-D-10-T problem, flick the switch, and walk away looking a genius.  I figure as long as I don’t make any of those mistakes, I’m in the clear.  Additionally, because I spent summers with her installing new programs and cleaning the machines inside and out, I feel I’ve grown up comfortably with the whole computer thing for a decent portion of my life. 

As far as the mission statement goes, the first thing that pops out to me is the notion of transforming public education through the teachers.  I like this.  There have been many times when I’ve been asked what I plan to do career-wise with my life only to get responses about the quality of teachers that are in the school systems today.  Most are generally negative.  I’d like to help change this and be a part of groups of teachers that work to reverse this diminished image of a public school teacher, and inspire the parents and others that are like-minded to believe in the education system once again.  I think it’s important that educators are seen as respected members of the education system and let their passion for education, leadership, and success shine through.  At the time this was not a factor in my decision for applying to CSUSM, but reading it now makes me proud and confirms that I have made the right choice.