• This is my eighth year at Johnson.  I am excited and honored to be a part of one of the best schools in our district.  I have a strong belief in social justice and am passionate about history, culture, race, and civics.
• I grew up in Alexandria, MN.  My grandmother graduated from Johnson High School in 1935 - it was a very different school back then!
• My background is in mental health.  I was a counselor at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital for twenty years, most of those years working with children and adolescents.  My experiences there have made me a better teacher and psychology plays a role in everything I do at Johnson.
• I have a B.A. in History from Metropolitan State University and did my graduate work at Metropolitan State University in their Urban Teacher Program.
• I am a strong believer in St. Paul schools and am proud to be teaching in the city where I live.  My wife and I have two sons, who attend Murray Middle School.  We are considering them coming to Johnson.
• I am one of our school's Schoology adminstrators and train staff on how to use it.
• I am AVID trained and believe in their strategies to equip students in preparation for college and the future.
• I am co-advisor of the Johnson Multicultural Club (JMCC), which plans our school's Pepfests and makes egg rolls for Conferences!
• In my free time, I like cooking, reading the news, listening to music, watching sports, and am a huge science fiction fan.  In the summer I'm in my garden, camping, playing basketball, and doing dad stuff in my garage.

As far as Psychology goes, I have been influenced by a lot of great thinkers.  That being said, Abraham Maslov is my favorite, probably because he is pretty focused on the power of human potential and creating our own future.  I try to help my students on their journey toward self-actualization (What is the meaning of each of our lives?)

In history, I am very interested in people's movements in ancient and modern times, much like what is happening in America right now.  I am fascinated with civilizations.  If I had a time machine, I would go back to the first cities, maybe Babylon or the Indus Valley!  I still think there are lessons to learn from "way back in the day."