"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."
I grew up in Visalia and attended Mt. Whitney High School. After graduating from Fresno State University with a B.A. in History, I decided I could be a lawyer or be a teacher. Well, after working at the Fresno County Law Library for three years while in college, I realized that there weren't a lot of happy lawyers. Rich, yes. Happy, no. So, teaching it was. Let's be honest, I didn't become a teacher, I became a coach. I thought that I would coach baseball for my entire life. Then a couple of things happened to me. First, I became a parent. That changed everything. I couldn't dedicate the time to coaching that I wanted to because I had two wonderful kids at home. Second, I actually loved teaching. Teaching is my sport now. I try to get better and better every year. No matter what subject I teach, I want to be the best. I take it personally when kids don't do well in my class. I truly enjoy what I get to do for 180 days a year. I might be the happiest teacher on our campus.
I first got hired at Golden West High School in 1997 and loved every minute of it. I taught everything from Econ to English to AVID. My nine years at G-Dub were great. I decided to move to El Diamante simply because it is closer to my home and I knew that I would get to teach my own children someday. I had both my son and my daughter in my AP Gov class. Proud dad moment - they both got a 5 on the AP Gov test! I am currently in my 27th year of teaching. I know what you are thinking - he must have started teaching when he was 18. That's not true - I started when I was 19 (that's not true either). I absolutely love teaching Civics and Economics because of all the controversial topics that we get to discuss. I also get to teach AP Government. This is, by far, the best class to teach in high school. There are so many great minds and opinions in this class. I love challenging the students' beliefs and making them think about both sides of every issue. I continue to learn something new all the time from the students as they challenge my beliefs.
I have been blessed with a wonderful family. My wife, Tanya, teaches at El Diamante as well. She is a phenomenal English teacher. It is always nice to have competition in the house to see who is the best teacher. I think we are both great! My son, Jack (El D class of 2017), graduated from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and just finished his second year at UCLA Law. He really seems to enjoy that LA weather. My daughter, Jenna (El D class of 2018), graduated with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Italian from Fresno State University as a Smittcamp Family Honors Scholar. She is finishing her Masters in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics of the Mediterranean from the University of Bari, Italy. It's my belief that if traveling was a major, Jenna would get a doctorate in it! To say that my wife and I are proud of our kids is an understatement.
For those of you who have voluntarily taken the time to read this, I would like to say one thing - education is the great equalizer in America. Let's be honest, some of you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, others with a gold spoon! Many of you were born with just a spoon. Some of you were born without a spoon! The beauty of America and our public education system is that if you WORK HARD you can change your entire life. Go to class, ask questions, get involved. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. If someone tells you that you can't do something, tell them "thank you for the motivation". I believe that HARD WORK is the key to success. If you live your life by these two words - HARD WORK or WORK HARD - good things will happen in your lifetime. I am the product of parents and grandparents who believed in HARD WORK.
I take this job seriously and try my best at all times. I like what I do and I can't see myself doing anything else. (I'm also not qualified to do anything else.) I have 7 years left in my career and I plan on being at El Diamante for those 7 years. Go Miners!
I first got hired at Golden West High School in 1997 and loved every minute of it. I taught everything from Econ to English to AVID. My nine years at G-Dub were great. I decided to move to El Diamante simply because it is closer to my home and I knew that I would get to teach my own children someday. I had both my son and my daughter in my AP Gov class. Proud dad moment - they both got a 5 on the AP Gov test! I am currently in my 27th year of teaching. I know what you are thinking - he must have started teaching when he was 18. That's not true - I started when I was 19 (that's not true either). I absolutely love teaching Civics and Economics because of all the controversial topics that we get to discuss. I also get to teach AP Government. This is, by far, the best class to teach in high school. There are so many great minds and opinions in this class. I love challenging the students' beliefs and making them think about both sides of every issue. I continue to learn something new all the time from the students as they challenge my beliefs.
I have been blessed with a wonderful family. My wife, Tanya, teaches at El Diamante as well. She is a phenomenal English teacher. It is always nice to have competition in the house to see who is the best teacher. I think we are both great! My son, Jack (El D class of 2017), graduated from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and just finished his second year at UCLA Law. He really seems to enjoy that LA weather. My daughter, Jenna (El D class of 2018), graduated with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Italian from Fresno State University as a Smittcamp Family Honors Scholar. She is finishing her Masters in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics of the Mediterranean from the University of Bari, Italy. It's my belief that if traveling was a major, Jenna would get a doctorate in it! To say that my wife and I are proud of our kids is an understatement.
For those of you who have voluntarily taken the time to read this, I would like to say one thing - education is the great equalizer in America. Let's be honest, some of you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, others with a gold spoon! Many of you were born with just a spoon. Some of you were born without a spoon! The beauty of America and our public education system is that if you WORK HARD you can change your entire life. Go to class, ask questions, get involved. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. If someone tells you that you can't do something, tell them "thank you for the motivation". I believe that HARD WORK is the key to success. If you live your life by these two words - HARD WORK or WORK HARD - good things will happen in your lifetime. I am the product of parents and grandparents who believed in HARD WORK.
I take this job seriously and try my best at all times. I like what I do and I can't see myself doing anything else. (I'm also not qualified to do anything else.) I have 7 years left in my career and I plan on being at El Diamante for those 7 years. Go Miners!
Don't drink and drive. Don't do drugs. Don't smoke. Be good humans. Pay somebody a compliment.
If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.
If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.