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Additional Information |
| Adjunct Duties |
| Senior Class Advisor, Career & Technical Education Department Chairperson, WASC Coordinator |
| Academic Background |
| In December of 1997, I was awarded a BA in English Education with an emphasis in Creative Writing. In June of 2000, I was awarded a Single Subject Credential in English. I was awarded a Vocational Credential in Computer Science Education in 2001. My degree and both credentials have been earned through California State University Long Beach. I recently earned Masters in Educational Administration through Concordia University of Irvine. |
| Family |
| I am the youngest child in a family of five, with two older sisters Jessica and Cheryl. My mother's name is Marla and my father's name is Jerry. I have been a resident of Huntington Beach, California since 1976. I was married on August 2, 2003 to Elysia Weiner (another alumni of HBUHSD). I have two sons, Jack and Ben. |
| Why did you become a teacher? |
| When I'm asked why I became a teacher, I like to think back to when I was in Boy Scouts . I clearly remember watching Mr. Bacon tie a bowlers knot and set up a tent. I sat there, watched him finish what he was doing, and decided if I was going to give it a try. Sometimes I did, like when I learned how to make a raft out of branches or how to administer CPR. Sometimes I didn't, because knowing how to use a rifle didn't appeal to me. What the Scout Masters did for the others and I was teach. They allowed us to choose whether or not we wanted to participate in learning something. And that is how we learned, by choosing what it was that we wanted to be able to do, understand, or think about. |
| Years teaching? |
| I student taught under Ms. Sandy Harper and Ms. Dolly Ickler at Ocean View High School during the Spring semester of 2000. My first year teaching was in the field of English at Westminster High School. I give special thanks to the entire English Department for making my first year teaching a memorable experience. I am now in my eighth year at Westminster High School, having worked between the Career & Technical Education and English Departments teaching a variety of courses. |
| Personal Comments/Quotes |
| We don't learn by watching, but doing. The most cathartic classroom experience is one during which we feel a mass of unknown between our hands become a physical, working product that shines with our pride in the reflection it creates in the eyes of those who gaze upon it. |
| Interests & Hobbies |
| I spend leisure time restoring automobiles, re-landscaping my home, hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and camping anywhere from the desert to the beach. I also enjoy roller-blading to work, though have had few opportunities to do so since the birth of my second son. |
| Most memorable moment |
| My most memorable moment in teaching was the day I had 36 High School Juniors in tears after reading aloud Dwight Okita's poem "In Response to Executive Order 9066". |
