You will likely never see Baziel Morton at a Best Practices training session. Come to think of it, we don’t see her in the office much. As the department’s educational technology specialist, almost all of her work is online, and that gives her the freedom to complete it anywhere she has an Internet connection. Bazy takes care of setting up and administering the online courses and quizzes in Desire2Learn for all of the BP trainings: every assistant and lead teacher training and Work Sampling Online. Bright From the Start depends on Bazy to collect information and report back data. If you send an email to bestpractices@gsu.edu, it’s possible that your response will come from Bazy. She also provides some support in that area.
In 2003, Bazy joined the BP team in a temporary position and eagerly joined full time when the opportunity arose. She has been part of Best Practices ever since and reflects fondly on her time on the team, especially appreciating that the staff is highly professional, yet no one takes himself or herself too seriously. (Ed. note: BP is a pretty wacky place sometimes. Apple stacking games or doughnut eating contests, anyone?)
Tell about your background…education, experience with B-5, anything in the professional realm you want to share.
Umm,… Let’s see here…when I was a little girl I had a rag doll, only doll I’ve ever owned … Wait! That was Tina Turner.
I enjoy helping people, and I love working with children. For me the natural intersection of the two is in psychology. So I earned an associate’s degree in teacher education and a bachelor’s in psychology. And with educational technology there is somewhat of a relationship between the two of those, take the psychology of learning and apply it to online learning to help pre-k teachers. Sounds like a win-win situation to me! (If it doesn’t sound like a win-win situation to you, then I’ll consider you hard of hearing).
What is your favorite children’s book? What makes it most appealing to you?
I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont is one of my favorites. David Cattrow did a great job with the illustrations by keeping them quirky and enjoyable. I like how it approaches self-love in a lighthearted and down-to-earth way. I feel like all children should have a copy, because it is just that awesome.
How do you spend your free time? Any hobbies? What are they?
I like crafting, mostly with paper. I’ve been trying out other hobbies as well. Most recently it’s been recreational soccer, which is fun! I also volunteer with a local advocacy program, which provides a lot of insight into how some social systems work. I find it emotionally challenging and psychologically rewarding.
What is something that most people don’t know about you or would never guess?
I’m a closeted extrovert.
Have you ever had a nickname? What is it?
Yep. Charle (pronounced Charley or Charlie).
Do you like or dislike surprises? Why or why not?
I like surprises! I like uncovering surprises too, but that’s bittersweet, because then it’s not really a surprise. When I was graduating high school, my sister was trying to help throw me a surprise party, but I found out because she was acting strangely. I strongly encouraged her to divulge why. Uncovering the mystery was fun; not being surprised and sleeping through the whole thing was not.
I train Georgia PreK teachers and dabble a bit in the art of blogging. Have an idea for a blog post? Email me at bestpractices@gsu.edu. On the web: www.bestpractices.gsu.edu Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestpracticespk Twitter: @bestpracticespk
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