Russ Erdman's Home Page

I teach part-time as an Adjunct Faculty member at Portland Community College at the Rock Creek, Sylvania and Cascade campuses.  My classes include introductory computer applications classes and computer concept classes plus some html courses.

Most of my life I have been in education.  This includes 20 years teaching Junior High Art, Social Studies, Technology/Industrial Arts, English and Math.  It was there that I first developed an interest in computers.  I worked with Commodore Amigas in my art classes, where students produced animated, color graphics.

I also spent 28 years in the Army Reserves, where I taught Supply courses, Nuclear, Biological and Chemical courses, Leadership courses, worked with site team for the Sixth Army Command and General Staff College and finished as the First Sergeant for the Army Reserve's Total Army School System at Fort Hunter-Liggett, California.

Now, I am retired from the Army and the State of Washington, so I have time to do volunteer work.  I work with tutoring English at my church, the Chinese Evangelical Church of Vancouver, with the Public Library's English conversation circles and at Clark College's English as a Second Language (ESL) program.

In the summer of 2004, I went with Global Volunteers to teach English to high school students in Xian, China.  I loved it so much, I have been back to China five more times since then.  I went to visit friends I had made and to see Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Nanjing.  I spent Christmas 2005 in Kunming, Yunnan Province working with Chinese English teachers.  Kunming and all of China is wonderful.  The people are warm and friendly, the culture is incredible and the food is delicious.  I can't wait to go back.

My hobbies include sailing, Country Western dancing, stained, fused and etched glasswork, participating in the Portland chapter of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, traveling, working with computers, and doing construction work.  I have built two houses myself.  One house had an all brick exterior, with every window done in leaded or stained glass.  Unfortunately, I no longer own either one.   However, I recently bought a new home and, even though I did not get to build it, I got to choose tile, colors and carpeting.