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The DNA of this class
If our experience in life is framed, or, held by time then we are creatures intimately acquainted with and marked by the past, present and future. However, of those three elements of time it is only the past that we know anything about. The future, yea, we like to talk about it, but no one has ever lived there. The future is entirely the realm of hopes and dreams and faith. For sure, the "present" is experienced, but it disappears so fast it is like vapor. So, the past is all we have, it's all we know. History, then, is not just something that happened a long time ago, history starts right now.
Humans experience just one realm of time: The past. It is in the past that memories are held and lesson learned. Think of it, "progress" (a term about the future) is understood only by measuring it to the past. In our inescapable pursuit of truth, the past is the only place that offers any hint of how or why things are what they are ... and perhaps, what they could be.
About your teacher, Brad Peters
PERSONAL: I was born September 19, 1965 in Montebello, CA and I have two sisters, one older, one younger. As a little kid, I lived for several years in Nepal and the Philippines, but for the most part, I grew up in Whittier, CA. I have been teaching since 1990 and at ML King since 1999. I've been married since1988 and my daughter graduated from ML King in 2019.
EDUCATION: Whittier Christian High School was the place of my high school experience. I ran cross country and track, loved hanging out with my friends, but academics didn't really float my boat. I did enough in class to stay out of trouble at home and graduated in 1984. After a short time in the work world, I went to Cal State Fullerton and earned my degree in American Studies in 1989. A few years later, I returned to CSUF and earned a Masters degree, also in American Studies graduating in 1999. Thus completed my formal education. Since then, I've continued to study and write about American history.
FAVORITES: US History is incredibly interesting, and I love its tragic beauty, and I love getting to teach it to young scholars. I'm a huge baseball fan, and my favorite team has always been the Dodgers! I'm on a quest to see a game in most of the Major League baseball stadiums, and I'm currently up to 18 of the 30 stadiums! I love music and Rock and Roll has the capacity to move me. My favorite band is Switchfoot ... they play some good rock, but their lyrics are amazing and always cause me to think! A Burger and fries, OR, loaded pizza will make me smile. Favorite past times - Reading and traveling. Favorite movie - Saving Private Ryan. Finally, I love writing and helping young people get better at the craft is always fun.
PAST PURSUITS: I used to be a competitive runner, racing everything from 5K's to the marathon. I got to run the 100th Boston Marathon; back in 1996. My fastest time for a marathon was 2:48:26 which I did in the Rock and Roll San Jose Marathon in '99. I coached cross country and track for 32 years here at ML King and previous schools before retiring in June of 2021. My original career goal was to manage a grocery store; yea, that didn't work out. For about 5 years I pursued a side business of photography taking portraits and shooting weddings, events.
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