My name is Joe Porter.  I was born and raised in Cedar Falls Iowa where I attended the U. of Northern Iowa. I received a K-8 B.A. in Education.  I completed my Masters in Technology from Lesley College in the use of Macintosh computers for education. Ironically, that summer my district replaced all Apple computers with PC's and I had learn something completely new to make them work!

On a personal note, I have two children with my wife, Stephanie.  My son, Ethan, is 18 and entering the Engineering Program at A&M. My daughter, Ella, is 16 and a varsity swimmer at Johnson HS.  They keep us very happy and busy! 

This is my 31st year of teaching. About half that time was spent as a 5th grade teacher so, as a 6th grade teacher, I know how hard that transition from elementary to middle school can be.   I began with 4 years in Kansas, took a year break to pursue other interests in Virginia, then returned to teaching in Colorado.  This is my 16th year in Texas and I am still not used to the heat! 

Begining the year with Distance Learning is not ideal but we will work togehter to make the best of it!  Please feel free to contact me anytime.  The best way to do this is through my school email;   jporte5@neisd.net

I feel privileged to be your child's science teacher.  Some goals that I have set forth for your science student are as follows:

-  Questioning why something has occurred and forming an hypothesis and investigation (experiment) to explain/test the occurrence.

-  Understanding the importance for safety in science labs.

-  Learning to work appropriately with other student scientists in a partner or lab group setting.

-  Keeping a science notebook organized, along with other materials for class.

-  Growing as a student into a more independent thinker and worker

-  To have fun with science, remembering that safety is always the first consideration.