The David Pettinari Experience
Hi, my name is David Pettinari. I am a student in ITEC845. My favorite animals (birds) are penguins. You may ask yourself how this came to be. It all started about seven years ago when I decided to leave the corporate world (I was a manager of corporate services for Morgan Stanley). It was then that I decided to become a teacher.
While pursuing my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential at San Francisco State University I worked full-time as a photography consultant and part-time as a substitute teacher. It was during this period that I became interested in penguins. When we had completed all of our studies for the day I would engage my students by telling them stories and then discussing themes, moral, etc.
Three years ago I became the Oral Language Instructor at John F. Kennedy Elementary School 
in Daly City, CA. I continued the tradition of storytelling and discussing them afterward. One of my favorite stories was about a penguin named Ralph who was tired of the South Pole and decided to take a vacation around the world. Ralph had many adventures but finally became homesick and returned to the South Pole.
My students so liked my stories that they started giving stuffed penguins, plastic penguins, penguins of all shapes and forms. It was amazing. Needless to say I have been a penguin fan ever since. I currently teach 4th grade at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Daly City, CA where my students still enjoy my stories and penguins almost outnumber students by 2 to 1.