My father once told me the more we have the more responsibility we have to share. Those words, combined with my artist mother’s penchant for the obscure, have inspired me to develop a classroom that facilitates not only learning, but creativity and the confidence to dream.
My fascination for words led me to a B.A. in English at the University of Florida, an education I partially funded by slinging orange pie in a Micanopy eatery. The Yearling restaurant was known more for its alligator fritters, but waiting tables in a restaurant named after a Pulitzer Prize winning novel made the poor tips and queasy fare more palatable.
After graduating, I stoked my curiosity about people by earning an M.A. in sociology. I scored a job in a secured psychiatric facility (prison) as a Behavioral Program Specialist (I served chow). Behind those walls, I found people whose problems were worse than anything I could ever complain about. I gave them my ear and drank in their stories. At the time, I was also making extra money as a basketball referee. One day, a fan told me I seemed like a straight shooter and would I like to give teaching a try? I said I had neither a credential nor any relevant experience. He said I was hired.
An “at-risk” program for Gainesville middle schoolers was my home for the next several years. On the first day, they told me the predicted dropout rate for these students was 100 percent. Those were odds I refused to believe. We didn’t move mountains in that classroom, but we sure tried. I did however write a grant to fund publication of a journal of student fiction. What my students may have lacked in formal writing ability they more than made up for with stories that contained enough heart to fill a thousand volumes.
I eventually left Gainesville for Los Angeles in search new challenges. Suddenly everyone around me spoke Spanish and I didn’t know how to say Hola. Fueled by my desire to actually interact with my fellow Angelinos, I had the wild idea to travel to Spain and enroll in a Spanish immersion class. In Barcelona I discovered that learning another language wasn’t about words; it was about opening doors to the rest of the world. Motivated by my experience, I vowed that when I returned home I would dedicate myself to returning the favor. Los Angeles is a city rich with people and cultures. I’m humbled to have the opportunity to help even one person open one door.
