“The reason I became a teacher was because of other teachers I had in high school. People who kind of gave me direction on how to grow as a human being. Obviously, I enjoy history, which is why I teach history, but it’s more.

As a young person, I had a couple people who were really influential in helping me learn how to be a better person and as an adult, and I wanted to kind of replicate that. It can be challenging, there’s the day-to-day, just the energy level and the exhaustion that can happen. And that happens for teachers and students. School’s exhausting. Another big challenge is just balancing the commitment of what it takes to do this job. 

I realized that, at like 15, I wanted to go into education. So, it’s always just kind of been something that I knew I was going to do. I think about this every once in a while, what I would’ve done if I wasn’t a teacher. I think I would have gone into, if I could do it all over again, some kind of sports, like sports journalism. I also enjoy being involved in soccer. I’m a soccer referee, and have been for a long time.

Obviously, my family is important to me, so my kids and my wife. Also, being good at my job, pushing myself to keep trying to be my best. Not settling for what I did just because it was what I used to do. Yeah, I think that kind of sums it up. Being the best person I can to my family and being the best I can at this job. Yeah, I think that kind of sums it up.”