Who Am I?

It is hard for me NOT to look and everything through the lens of teaching.  Every issue and topic, every life decision, I wonder how it will impact me as a teacher, and what message it will deliver to my students, past, present and future.

I've played in bands for most of my life.  I've been playing bass since I was 10 years old.  The rock and roll lifestyle, the counter-culture of the '60's, the excess of the '70's, the rebellion of the punk-rock 80's, these things shaped my childhood, teen and college years.  My heroes were never sports figures or movie stars.  They were Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend (look 'em up), and... my dad.

See, I had good parents.  A stay-at-home mom and a dad who read to me.  So when I grew up, it was pretty easy for me to see that a life of sex and drugs and rock and roll was really just stupid.  The media, TV, movies and popular music can paint any picture they want, but a loving family, a good education and people who supported me were what really mattered.

As a teacher, I encounter students whose lives are daily struggles because of all the deficits of our society - a crumbling economy, racial prejudice, widespread ignorance, greed, and a shocking lack of appreciation for the value of honesty, education and hard work.  So every decision I make, from who to vote for in a presidential election to what I eat for lunch, is based on how it will impact that on-going battle.