What classes are you teaching this year?
I teach Freshmen English, Pre-AP English 9, Academic Reading, and Structured English Immersion.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I spend a lot of time in the outdoors trail running, hiking, backpacking and camping. I’ve recently taken up watercolors, playing the ukulele and collecting vinyl.
Do you have a family here?
My family has lived in Sedona for over a decade. My two youngest — ages 9 and 12 — attend Running River School, a private Waldorf parent cooperative my wife and I co-founded several years ago.
What drew you to this position?
I’ve been teaching in and around the area for over a decade now. I last taught middle school English and social studies at American Heritage Academy in Cottonwood and applied at SRRHS to return to high school and be closer to home.
What is your background in education and/ or other professions?
I’ve always been a life-long learner. In every career I’ve had I’ve found myself learning something in order to pass it on, be it the military, public relations or outdoor education and retail.
As far as education goes, I began as an ESL instructor in a boarding school in California and rose through the ranks to work in administration, running residential and athletic departments.
After switching up careers and working as a journalist for a number of years, I decided to return to the classroom and bring what I learned as a professional writer to the classroom. I earned my master’s degree and have gone on to teach everything from middle school English and Social Studies to Senior Literature.
How do you feel about in-person learning?
I welcome in-person learning. I would have been happy to start in-person Aug. 5, but the blessing in disguise is that I [had] more time to get the aesthetics of my classroom set up. I’m trying to make an environment that is comfortable and welcoming, and since this pandemic I’ve completely changed my opinion of what that looks like for any classroom.
How do you feel about wearing a mask all day in the in-person structure?
Personally, I’d prefer not to wear a mask. Void of any argument, my opinion is that this virus is here to stay and the manner of which we are adapting is often confused with what has been an on-going battle of varying arguments, each with valid points. At the end of the day, it isn’t about me. It’s about my colleagues who have concerns. It’s about the students and the students’ extended families. I suppose when it comes down to it, if the powers that be asked me to wear a clown nose my first response would be, “Cool, but I still get to teach, right?”
How were you able to build a classroom community/ structure with your students on the first days of online school?
I did a few ice breakers with the students and then assigned small tasks to get them used to Google Classroom. [I then built] building a routine around the foundations of English [grammar, literary devices, vocabulary] and assigned some reading.
Anything else you would like to add?
The biggest lesson I’m learning and has been instilled in our youth since this pandemic took hold, is to adapt, be grateful and to go with grace.
Additionally, though school is most definitely relied upon as a physical location for children to go while the family unit is working, it’s important to remember that education doesn’t just take place in a school. It doesn’t stop when the bell rings at 3 p.m. It doesn’t stop when I say “dismissed.” So much has been learned and will continue to be learned despite a virus, and we forget that.
Adapt. Look at how children have adapted to new technologies, and so quickly. Look at how families learned to co-habitate more closely with their families while looking deeper into each other’s lives, building empathy.
Gratitude. Students missed their teachers. Teachers missed their students. Teachers feel for families. Families feel for teachers.
Grace. Any frustrations now will pass. This too shall pass. Just breathe, folks. Just breathe, and yeah, I guess with a mask for a bit.
