NAME:
Mr. Sid Baumann
SCHOOL:
Frank W. Cox High School
CLASS:
AP U.S. Government and U.S. & VA Government
SCHOOL PHONE:
757-648-5250
The 2011-2012 school year marks my 6th year as a teacher and my 6th year here
at Cox High School. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison
with a double major in History and Political Science. I also have an MBA
from Auburn University. So, I am a big fan of both the Big 10 and the SEC.
My son, who was educated in the Virginia Beach public school system, is a
senior at the University of Florida, so now I'm a big Gator fan as well!!
I was an officer in the Navy flying A-6 Intruders (as a navigator) from
aircraft carriers for 10 years. I flew combat missions in Desert Storm. This
fall I will retire as a Commander from the Navy Reserves.
After the Navy, I became a financial advisor for 9 years. When I finally
decided to pursue what I felt was my "true calling" (teaching), I entered
and completed a Career Switcher program with the Virginia Beach City Public
School system.
Having been in both the military and civilian work force, I feel I bring a
unique perspective to the classroom. I can give my students first hand
accounts of what life is really like "out there". I'm hoping my students
will benefit tremendously from this perspective.
I am also the Debate Coach and the JV Softball Coach.
I've lived in Virginia Beach for over 24 years and I feel very, very
fortunate to be teaching at Cox High School!
My immediate and primary mission for the my classes is as follows:
1) For my AP Government class, it is to have each student take and pass
the national College Board AP U.S. Government Exam with a score of 3 or
better;
2) For my U.S. & VA Government class, it is to have each student end the year
with a grade of 83 (B) or better (so they do not have to take the year end
final!);
My secondary mission (and in my opinion, of equal if not of greater
importance than my primary mission) is to teach my students the day-to-day
basic skills that they will need to succeed and prosper after high school.
By this I mean teaching them the importance of respect (especially for
themselves, which then can be passed on to others), the importance of
timeliness and punctuality, the importance of quality work, the importance
of learning from mistakes and always striving for improvement, the
importance of following and adhereing to directions and proceedures, the
importance of questioning, the importance of learning to work with others,
to learn from others, and to help teach others, and finally, the importance
of believing in themselves. These are the day-to-day basic skills that they
can achieve while working in my class (regardless of the topic being taught)
that will help them tremendously after high school.
