Mr. Sines' Page about Mr. Sines!

Some facts you might not know about your favorite 8th grade homeroom teacher:

Born: Waterloo, Iowa

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Team: Chicago Cubs *For the record, I've been a Cubs fan as long as I can remember, and that included plenty of awful, terrible years. So no, there is no "bandwagon" mentality here.*

Least Favorite Color: Periwinkle. Why? Because nobody ever seems to agree on what periwinkle actually looks like. Don't believe me, google "periwinkle color" and see what comes up. Does it all look the same? I didn't think so.

Education: Bachelor's in History and Secondary Education from Concordia University Wisconsin. Master's in History from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. (If you think you are an insomniac, let me know and you can read my thesis on the Viking Age settlements in Iceland and Greenland during the Middle Ages. Fascinating stuff!) My wonderful wife still outranks me since she has a doctorate!

Favorite Song: "Go Cubs Go" (naturally) and "Eye of the Storm" by Ryan Stevenson w/ Gabe Real, "Greater" by MercyMe, and "You Should Be Here" by Cole Swindell.

Favorite Topic to Teach: The Middle Ages. So often it is assumed the Middle Ages are the void between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance. Keep in mind that in the Middle Ages we get the longest running democratic institution (The Althing), the Magna Carta, Charlemagne (and Charles "The Hammer" Martel!), the Hundred Years' War, the Crusades, banks, the creation of universities and higher learning, and even the invention of mechanical clocks! Plus I also get to chant "Ring around the Rosie" during class, so that's an added bonus.

Favorite sports: Hockey and Baseball. Least favorite sports to watch: Basketball and Rugby. Sorry rugby, I just don't understand you. Basketball? I feel like sports should have an attempt at defense.

Second Least Favorite Color: Koala Tree. Thanks Crayola. Koala's live in eucalyptus trees, not koala trees.

Favorite Dog Breed: Shiba Inu (see the meeko-in-a-box picture...can't get much cuter than that)