I try not to take myself too seriously, while taking my job very seriously. I believe that my greatest goal is to get the children to love school. This has to be a place they find trusting and secure -- only then will they be receptive to learning. It is my duty to instill in them the tools and strategies necessary to effectively manage the burden of the information age. If I am successful, they will fall in love with scholarship, and approach problems not as obstacles, but challenges against which to push and grow. John Dewey, the great American educational philosopher, suggests that connecting curriculum to the world outside of the classroom provides a “need to know”. The first day a child enters my room, I start the work of letting them go: ten months absolutely flies, and they need to leave me confident, independent and every bit able to be a productive, positive person.
I am West Indian, born in Jamaica, and grew up in St. Lucia (pictured above) in the Eastern Caribbean. My family moved to the States in 1980 and settled in Florida. I graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Economics. Following a three-year stint in banking, I pursued a Master's degree in elementary education from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. My wife, Amy of 26 years, Anissa (recent RISD grad) and I moved to San Diego 20 years ago, in order to get closer to grandparents. Lovely Malia, my dancer, is about to start eleventh grade @ Torrey Pines High.
Ironically, I now teach at my wife's alma mater, R. Roger Rowe School in Rancho Santa Fe. Occasionally, I feed my obsession: golf (12 index) as middle school coach, and with whomever invites me to play at their club. (Hint). We just finished our big adventure of building our home, and love it! This is my 23rd year of teaching, and eighth at fifth grade. I've had a fantastic run, and look forward to serving education in another capacity of principal.