Introduction

Three and a half years ago, I sat staring at a computer screen  full of spreadsheets and emails waiting to be read.  Each task I completed irritated me more and more.  I did not know why until...I realized that I hated my job.  I had left a job as a trainer which I loved for a promotion as a training manager which offered more money.  Once I found that I hated being a manager, I stepped down and went back to being a trainer.  I then  went one step further and returned back to finish my degree at the age of 36.  I now try to stay sane while going to school full time, working full time, and being a father and husband full time.

Once I decided to return to school, I immediately decided on becoming a high school English teacher.  I love to teach.  I realized all I wanted was the challenge of a classroom teaching the subject where I feel the most comfortable.  Not only that, but I feel from English so many other critical skills can be developed that even those that do not intend to go to college can use in their daily lives or future careers.  Being able to express yourself clearing and distinctly can be useful and most of the time essential in any profession.

I could define literacy in a very traditional way as an English teacher, but I see literacy as not only reading a book and spouting off knowledge written or orally.  Literacy also means viewing what is read from different perspectives.  Literacy means viewing a painting, a movie, a real-life interaction and interpret and analyze those observations from critical perspective to understand the reasoning of the whys, hows, and what nows.  Literacy builds on the foundation of knowledge and using that knowledge to interpret situations with a defined critical eye built from personal experience and exposure to a variety of media.


I seek new ways to engage the student in an English classroom mixing conventional and innovative techniques  for a unique student experience.


When I am not up late into the night thinking about education issues, I destress from my hectic life by watching movies and reading incessantly.  I also love sitting down with my wife and watching our two favorite TV series, Downton Abbey and The Walking Dead.  When the weather permits in Logan, I hike, backpack, and camp with my family.