Life teaches, keep learning!

Visitor, welcome. I am a lateral-entry business teacher. What does that mean? Well, basically, I am not classically trained in pedagogy and don't have a degree in education. 

Instead, I come to the classroom with real-world, practical business experience gained from working in a Fortune 5 company in the IT industry. Over the course of my career I held positions of responsibility in business administration, customer service, sales, customer engineering and field management. What I learned during my professional career is business is personal, it boils down to relationships. The "know how", the technical, core knowledge to do the job is essential, but for me it's human skills, the ability to communicate, your interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence that end up having a greater impact on long-term career success. Yes, the job you do is important but what's more important is how you do the job.

As for education, I've been in a New Hanover County Schools classroom full time since August 2003. In August 2007 I started as an online instructor with North Carolina Virtual Public School. My main interest is introducing students to the business of business and that hard work and focus and dedication is the bill everyone has to pay, every day. I still get a kick teaching bookkeeping and financial accounting and showing students how they can broaden their communication skills through productivity applications. I am certified in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

As for the classroom I believe in cause and effect. Students can expect to get what they give. A student who participates and makes an honest effort can experience success. To me, student achievement is related to effort which is related to student behavior. Get the behavior right and the results will follow. Students are accountable for how they spend their time in class. Just like the boss holds employees accountable for their performance on the job. The business wants results not reasons (excuses). 

Enough about business. I am a New Jersey native, the oldest from a family of eight, growing up and graduating from college within sight of the Empire State building. Moving has been a recurring theme in my life. First with my parents and siblings and then as part of my professional career. I have lived and or worked in New Jersey (Paterson, Hawthorne, Ramsey, North Haledon, Wyckoff, Newark, Rochelle Park), Florida (Key West), Virginia (Richmond, Williamsburg), Delaware (Dagsboro, Ocean View), Maryland (Salisbury), Pennsylvania (West Chester, Phoenixville) and North Carolina. 

I am married to my best friend and I have been blessed with two incredible sons, both of whom are Ashley graduates. Faced with another move, and with my wife being a North Carolina native, we chose to settle in Wilmington. So I jumped off the corporate "hamster wheel" in 2002 and jumped into a classroom. And while I am no longer in business the moving hasn't stopped. My first teaching assignment was at Laney followed up by a year at Ashley and then 10 years at New Hanover. I moved back to Ashley in 2014.

With moving as a constant in my life I've developed a permanent sense of wanderlust. My favorite pastime is travel, to explore and be on the move. Road trip, sea cruise, plane, train, camping, overseas, islands, east coast, west coast, beaches, mountains, big city or out in the countryside it doesn't matter. One of my sons lives in Chicago which is my current favorite place to visit. Seeing things and doing things and collecting memories and stories that include family and friends will always mean more than having stuff. For me, nothing can substitute experience. 

The lesson I've learned is change is constant so take advantage to learn, grow and improve. If you stand still you get run over and get left behind.

Let me sign-off with some free advice...don't spend your life in the cloud. Beware the dopamine loop, it will steal your time and sabotage your relationships and performance. 

Have a great day!