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So, who am I . . ?
So, who am I . . ?
As a former Capitol Hill Staffer, James Madison Fellow, and Analyst for UnitedHealthcare, I have been teaching American Histories of the United States to the students of Bishop McNamara High School since 2001 . . .
Born and raised in Sharon Hill, just outside Philadelphia, I have lived in New Jersey, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. I ran Track while earning my Bachelor's at Rider College and completed my Graduate Degree at the University of Georgetown. During my time at Bishop McNamara High School, I became a teacher, husband, and father of three. Now in my twenty-third year of teaching, I've spent more time in Room 217 than I have in any other place I've called home.
Born and raised in Sharon Hill, just outside Philadelphia, I have lived in New Jersey, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. I ran Track while earning my Bachelor's at Rider College and completed my Graduate Degree at the University of Georgetown. During my time at Bishop McNamara High School, I became a teacher, husband, and father of three. Now in my twenty-third year of teaching, I've spent more time in Room 217 than I have in any other place I've called home.
Shawn . . .
Shawn . . .
According to my mother, she and my father had not yet settled on a name when I was born, so the nurses in the maternity ward took to calling me John L. Sullivan, the last bare-knuckles boxing champion in the United States because I refused to unclench my fists. Though not a fan of boxing herself, the nurse's nickname reminded my mother of an old John Wayne film set in the Inishowen Peninsula in the North of Ireland. Adapted from Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, the movie centers on an American boxer, Sean Thornton, who returns to his native Ireland after accidentally beating an opponent to death in defense of his title.
Now you may ask, why "Shawn" rather than the more traditionally Irish spelling of "Sean" . . ? Well, in this pre-internet age, when my parents, not actually knowing anyone named "Sean", were asked what name they wanted printed on the Birth Certificate, relied on American phonetics to sound out how they thought the name should be spelled: S, H, A, W, N . . . Shawn.
Francis . . .
Francis . . .
I was almost a "Junior." Had my parents not been inspired by the nurses on duty that night, I might have been "Francis James Dougherty, III . . . " And, while I cringe a bit at the notion of being a "Junior," I couldn't have asked for better namesakes. In honor of my Father and Grand-Father, my middle name is "Francis."
Now . . . though both men were named "Francis," they were each undeniably "Frank." That is to say, they were very comfortable (for better or worse . . . ) with offering their honest and straightforward opinions in almost any situation. Loving husbands and doting fathers, I aspire to be as "frank" in my life as they were in theirs.
Francis . . .
Francis . . .
So nice, I took it twice. So taken by the story of Saint Francis of Assisi and his independent spirit that I took his name for my Confirmation. Born into wealth, Francis abandoned his worldly possessions and privilege to go his own way. Even as a skinny seventh grader, I aspired to walk my own path.
Dougherty . . .
Dougherty . . .
Finally, the correct pronunciation of my name. Now, I am no stickler when it comes to the proper pronunciation of my name, and being from South-East of Philadelphia, there are plenty of pronunciations with which we famously struggle. That said, for some reason, Philadelphia is the only place I know of outside of Ireland where my name retains its Northern Irish pronunciation of Dock-ar-tee. Anglicized from the Irish "Dochartaigh" to the more British "Dougherty" and is frequently mispronounced Dough-er-tee.
Finally, the correct pronunciation of my name. Now, I am no stickler when it comes to the proper pronunciation of my name, and being from South-East of Philadelphia, there are plenty of pronunciations with which we famously struggle. That said, for some reason, Philadelphia is the only place I know of outside of Ireland where my name retains its Northern Irish pronunciation of Dock-ar-tee. Anglicized from the Irish "Dochartaigh" to the more British "Dougherty" and is frequently mispronounced Dough-er-tee.
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