I spent a little over thirty-five years of my life in public education, teaching science and math to elementary and middle school students. (I taught a number of other subjects at various times but the former were my primary focus.) In many of my lessons, I supplemented the text and standard materials with my own photography (slides, stills, video). This enabled me to add personal stories, experiences and observations to the lessons. A teaching technique, that I hope made it easier for the students to grasp the proffered concepts. And if nothing else, perhaps made subject matter that could have been deadly dry, a bit more palatable.

I also did a considerable amount of event photography for the schools, including sports, musicals, drama, Heritage Days, yearbooks and assorted after school activities. It was not therefore, a huge transition after retirement, to switch to full time photography ; a move I might add that made my decision to leave teaching a bit easier to cope with. I thoroughly enjoyed my students, and consider the time spent with them both a privilege and an honor . Sometimes the paperwork, the red tape, and the never ending meetings were mind boggling. But "my kids" made it all worthwhile and for that I offer them a heart felt "Thank you".

I am going to include in this introduction, my own personal philosophy on Flickr faves and comments. This is done, in an effort to keep things as clear and simple as possible for my friends and contacts. I try to keep my contact list at or near 100 individuals simply because I like to take the time to write personal comments and I find a larger number becomes cumbersome . However, if you reply or leave a personal note or comment on my images, I will try to reciprocate as often and as promptly as possible.

MY PERSONAL OUTLOOK ON FAVES :

As far as adding faves to images is concerned; I do not fave images lightly. Therefore, many of my " faved" photos belong to friends and contacts and have a truly special significance to me. However, there are instances when I will "fave " an image because the photographer who produced it has a particular style or technique that offers me a unique learning opportunity. And I wish to return to that photo at a later date. In cases like this I will often leave a comment explaining to the individual why I faved their image. **** I do not like the fave and run habit and I am always taken aback when someone faves five or six of my photos in a row with no explanation **** So if you fave and run I will most likely block you and if you fave or comment but have no photos published to a photostream I will also block you.

My friends and contacts on Flickr as well my Photostream are a personal investment in time and energy that I value . As such I will endeavor to treat them with respect and would appreciate reciprocal behavior. In light of that statement, I would ask that none of my images be used without my personal permission. They are my personal property, they carry a copyright and are not for commercial publication. Anyone wishing to use one of my photos for any reason, please contact me first, via Flickr mail. I will more than likely grant you permission to use the image. Please bear in mind that any use of these images without my consent is in direct violation of copyright law and brings with it risk of prosecution for that violation.

"Peaceful Continuation fellow travelers"

~Paula~