Waveplace Bio

Mary Burks Directors St John

Mary Burks has lived and taught in the Virgin Islands since 1989. Prior to that, she taught at the American School in Kuwait for four years. She presently teaches fourth grade at Guy Benjamin Elementary School on St. John. Her students are the target population for the Virgin Islands' first pilot program, teaching Squeak using OLPC XO laptops. Mary loves teaching and enjoys any and all methods that seek to help children grow and develop. She has a strong background in technology; not a necessary requirement for this pilot, but a useful one because she is comfortable using new forms of technology and software. Mary is married and has two daughters, both college graduates. Her children were raised in the Virgin Islands but both now work in the States. Her hobbies include boating, swimming, cooking with her husband, knitting, and reading. She lives on a sailboat in Coral Bay Harbor.