Building a culture of Fun!

Hey all! My name is Bryan Bazilauskas and I was born and raised in the slums of Beverly Hills.  I was an underachieving student for most of my scholastic career.  School was never particularly motivating for me, although I pulled decent grades.  I was more entertained by video games and remember one particular school night when I spent 20 minutes on my homework and 7 hours playing "Civilization" on my computer.  For those who haven't heard of it or played it, it is an engrossing game that requires the player to build their own civilization that evolves and develops over the period from about 2000 B.C.E. to the present day.  I found myself half-heartedly completing my homework, and spending the remainder of my evening playing Civilization.  Wow!  how the time would fly by.  I was captivated by the way the game took monotonous and somewhat boring facts, and created a game and presented the information in a way that I could relate to, and that truly captured my attention in a natural way.  I still retain a knowledge and appreciation for the ancient wonders of the world (Pyramids of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Colossus of Rhodes, Lighthouse of Alexandria, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia.)  In my later years, I realized how much I enjoy learning. It became clear to me that although school is a "place for learning", it often lacks the engaging quality of a well-designed video game.  I started to wonder if it would be possible to package learning and fun together.  My passion for educational games has inspired me in my adult life to help students find fun and interactive ways to learn and relate to material.    Because I struggled, and faced many of the same challenges that today's kids do, I speak from experience.  Kids respond well to the "real" me, as I am vocal about my flaws and seem to connect very naturally with the students I work with.  At a young age I recognized that the concrete problem solving of mathematics gave me much greater satisfaction than the open-ended areas of literary analysis and writing. While not mathematically gifted, I had a natural connection to the functions and principles.  I first began as a math tutor back in 1997 when my mom got me a "job" tutoring a kid in my neighborhood.  I found that the practice of teaching and helping kids relate to material that in many cases seemed boring or foreign to them was fun and rewarding.   I have been fortunate enough to have a continuous flow of students that has allowed me to live comfortably.  I have taught in a classroom setting for many years in both private and public settings, teaching math from 5th grade up into Intermediate Algebra.  My unplanned tutoring business has grown exponentially and has turned into a very profitable career.  I still have plans to enter the classroom again, but likely not as a full-time teacher.  I feel like a teacher at heart, however, and have visions of building the BHBA as an elective afterschool supplement to regular school.   Because of my own experiences growing up, I have enjoyed finding new ways to teach myself as well as others.  I aim to reach a number of different types of students and learners.  I believe in building people up and creating positive, open and supportive learning environments for all.  Challenging one another's thoughts and ideas while staying positive and supportive is crucial to supplying a creative atmosphere where all can express, question and learn!  My hopes for Beverly Hills Brain Arcade is that students and their families can find a place to learn, create and have fun doing it!

I am INFJ with INTJ a close second.  This makes sense for a math teacher because it demands both interpersonal dealings (F) and attention to logic and formula (T).

The (N) aspect of my profile suggests I am very concerned with "possibilities and potential" when compared to "tangible outcomes".  This makes me think I, like many other teachers, would sacrifice higher test scores for long-term personal growth for my students.  

The (I) suggests that I tend towards introversion, and I would agree with the assesment.  This is actually an issue for me as a classroom teacher, because I am not convinced I will be able to handle the demanding interpersonal aspects of the job over the long term.  It has me looking for hybrid roles that allow me to spend enough time recharging so i can avoid the burnout that so often affects teachers.

Learning Styles

http://imgur.com/HWId5go

Learning Styles Interpretation

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

I am a reflective rather than an active learner, but as an adult I am trying to improve at active learning.  I would like to have concrete illustration of my reflections by the time it is all said and done.

I am also strongly visual and less verbal.