"My family and I have lived in Dexter for the past seventeen years, moving into our new home a few weeks after our first child was born. A second followed eleven months later, and that is when I first moved from the classroom into administration.
I started as a special education teacher, working with elementary students in a self-contained classroom. Early on, I began teaching in Pinckney, living in Ann Arbor most of that time. After completing my MA in learning disabilities, I moved into two elementary classrooms, co-teaching half the day in one third grade classroom, then the second half of the day in a fourth grade classroom. This arrangement lasted for over ten years. I have to say working side-by-side with two of my best friends for those years was a happy period in my life. We are still close after all of this time.
When my district was looking for a teacher to tackle a year-long course in Reading Recovery, I happily volunteered. Reading Recovery trainees are required, among other things, to demonstrate their learning to their colleagues by teaching lessons “behind the glass,” meaning the classic one-way mirror set up. I believe I learned one of the most important lessons in my career. To truly embrace excellence, you have to let go of fear or anxiety and allow others to see what you do, and accept feedback designed to make you better, not just feel good. I also learned that every student could accelerate and become a self-sustaining learner, regardless of background or experiences. These lessons have shaped my values moving forward.
After ten years of serving as an elementary principal, mostly in Saline, MI, I had the opportunity to return to Pinckney as an elementary school principal and elementary curriculum director. During this time, I finished and defended my dissertation and began working for Michigan International Education Services and China Services International, and traveled extensively around the country for three years designing and implementing programs and teaching a summer course at the University of Science and Technology Beijing. I continue to provide professional development for principals in China remotely during the pandemic. This semester I begin teaching educational leadership courses for graduate students at Madonna University.
My family enjoys spending time at our little cottage up north, swimming, kayaking, and fishing most days in our spare time. In the winter, we like to cross country ski around the local trails or across the lake; however with two teenagers involved in swimming and music, we now spend most weekends during the school year providing shuttle service and mobile food options for the kids. As much as I will miss having them around every day after they leave for college, my wife and I look forward to a reintroduction to golf and eating out, two casualties of parenthood we hope to reinstate someday.
I am the youngest of seven children, barely younger than my twin brother Patrick. If I have learned anything, I understand the importance of politeness and diplomacy, having four older sisters, one of whom lives in the district. My wife Meg, son Joe, and daughter Grace are very fortunate to have enjoyed good health and happiness all of these years. I’m less enthusiastic about our boxer Cody, who manages to defy most of my training efforts and serves as an endless source of amusement for my family, who love my near-daily struggles to maintain order. He’s a great dog and friend, but I recommend a lab."