Burge,+Leslie



=Leslie Burge=

Hi, my name is Leslie Burge (pictured far left). I live in Gulfport, Mississippi and teach at Our Lady Academy in Bay St. Louis. I chose the above picture because it is taken in one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans which is about 45 minutes from home and we travel back and forth to enjoy the city quite often. Currently, I teach ancient World History and US History. I am looking forward to bringing many stories, pictures and new ideas back to share with my students. As a junior high school teacher, I find traveling and personal accounts to be invaluable in sharing my love of history and geography with my students.

I was born and raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and this has offered many wonderful opportunities as well as challenges. It is in this environment in which I have taught history/social studies for seven years and have seen many changes to my community. The most recent impacts have been with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in which my school was destroyed, moved, then later rebuilt and then this most recent threat to our coastline-the oil spill which has yet to reach our coast but the threat of it fills the news each day. I am very blessed to live in this never boring yet beautiful place with many family members, friends and my dog, Libby.

My past international travels have included only one trip to Asia. In the summer of 2006, I traveled with a group, Volunteer for China, to participate in an Oral English Institute summer course for Number 1 Middle School in Changzhi, Shanxi. Other travels include: Rotary International Group Study Exchange Member to Milan, Italy (2007), graduate course work in Pontlevoy, France as well as vacations to Mexico, Honduras and Belize.

I am truly excited about this upcoming adventure and so happy to be sharing it with fellow educators. Looking forward to meeting each of you....