I had no choice to distant learn... But what I didn't know was how much I actually would learn. Working with the other vice principal to determine a sense of normalcy in this unprecedented learning environment, I found myself getting familiar with new technologies (WebEx, Zoom and TEAMs) to maintain a supportive presence within our local school community. Collectively the administrative team at Berry Elementary created a schedule designed to meet with staff for them to stay abreast with the most current information regarding distant learning and overall school operations as we were all now working from home. Through this communication we were able to identify those families that lacked the basic needs to participate remotely because of their deficiency in resources. With the help of our PPW and other school-based personnel we were able to provide nearly all of those families with the necessary tools to participate remotely with little to no delay in their learning process.  The collaboration with my administrative team was invaluable for me as I was navigating my first year as a school administrator. It provided me an additional level of confidence in the transition from classroom to front office. We worked together with our staff to interact and participate with students on the various platforms during their distant learning experiences.

​It has been highly documented that I have been blessed with four best daughters in the entire world. I now would like to introduce to you Kyle, Klye is the son of my best friend of 30 years. This weekend I was asked to be the God Father of him, I did not hesitate to accept. He turned one on the 27th, so I have yet another Blessed December baby. I had to goggle what it all meant... google gave me: In both religious and civil views, a godparent tends to be an individual chosen by the parents to take an interest in the child's upbringing and personal development, to offer mentorship or claim legal guardianship of the child if anything should happen to the parents. And after doing that little bit of research, I still accept. This has to be one of the highest honors yet to be bestowed upon me.

Not everyone gets to choose their own kids, but back in 1999 when I met her mother I was able to do just that. It was Stephanie that gave me the name of DIT “Daddy in Training" slowly but surely the in training was dropped and I was just Daddy. I got to raise Stephanie [minus the dirty diapers] and got to see her transition into the wonderful woman that she has become. We have experienced it all, me being her art teacher [and she ignoring me in class], taking her to the ER for broken bones [arms and leg; she had to quit Cheerleading] you name it we did it. In 2010 she gave me another title when she became an AKA and I became her forever “Frat Daddy". Fast forward in time and along comes Tony and once again here is Stephanie giving me yet another title, this time Papa and Father-In Law! It has been amazing watching Steph and Tony growing into adults and as a couple that love each other and their family. I feel secure knowing Tony will be there to provide and protect my daughter and for that reason he’s my son! Congrats Steph and Tony!!!

05.21.19

When I started my educational career back in 1999, I was introduced as the art teacher. 3 schools, 2 school districts, 1000s of students and countless sleepless nights later, I will be adding my fourth school to this list, but this time I will not be introduced as art teacher but as Vice Principal.

I really jumped outside of the box with these paper maché writing instruments. These kids really wowed me and their classmates with their creativity and craftsmanship. They really impressed me with this project. I have to find the courage to stay out of my box more often.

Being Highly effective is a contagious feeling. In other words, I have gotten used to receiving highly effective ratings at the end of the school year. Year twenty is no different, in fact for the past 6 school years that was how my end of the year presented itself: a highly effective rating from my school administrator. It is not just from class room performance but all the other stuff I do outside of the classroom that some may call up and beyond; but I call it doing my job. As Brother Wesley so eloquently states in his book, "Onward and Upward towards the light"

My experience with the National Portrait gallery gave me the opportunity to have complete access to their entire collection at the Smithsonian. Having that access I was able to crate my own collections using the LearningLab tool. I have used the learning Lab to create both personal and professional collections that I use in my classrooms and beyond.

I recently was featured on the Learning Lab's website so visitors to their site could see firsthand how I use the collection.

​HandsWhy hands are important?
The human hand is different to the hands or paws of other animals, because it has fingers and a thumb that can work together. ... Our thumb can work with each of our fingers, including our smallest finger and our ring finger, so we can do much more complicated things than most animals.

I recently visited the Wynwood Walls in Miami, Florida where I was able to pose with Street Artist Case Maclaim and his mural "Hands". In a 2017 StreetArt360 article by Laurent Jacquet, Jacquet says, "The artist often focuses on representing hands, as for Case this is the natural link between the human brain and the real world. His perfect mastery of drawing allows him to play with the form of fingers and knuckles to convey emotion and message throughout. With Case Maclaim, the layering of hands is not just a physical movement of the body but also a political movement placed in a particular context where the viewer can visualize recent history and powerfully feel its emotion."

What have you done for or with your hands lately.