Q: Please tell our readers about yourself.
A: I have been teaching for 15 years — a combination of middle and high school math — and have coached baseball, softball and golf. As a coach, managing athletes and developing players to become better equipped for life and for future athletics was my way of expressing my care for other people. In the classroom, teaching necessary mathematics to students and joining in celebratory “ah-ha” moments that are meaningful that inspire kids to want to strive further and for more is what I seek to provide for students. In addition to teaching mathematics, while obtaining an Educational Specialist Degree in Instructional Leadership from Samford University, I challenged myself with something new and exciting that revolves around character and building people into becoming the best that they can be and [striving] for more. The more I learned [about] how to impact people, the more I thought about impacting the people that have influenced me along the way.
Q: What are the lessons that you hope students learn most from you?
A: I have experienced being a father at a young age and have built resilience along the way to strive for better lives for my family and people around me without financial hardship. I believe in people that have fought to be where they are today, have shown heart and grind throughout their lives and [who] strive to serve one another. I seek to serve those that have not been thought of or have experienced hardships in a way where they can have the freedom to live their lives.
I work to learn goals, needs and wants first, educate along the way and strive to build a strong, long-lasting relationship based on positive character values that bring out the best in one another. I see opportunities to build teams and be more efficient, building culture with my interactions and conversations, and want to develop the best possible way for those that I serve to win with strategy, dedication and commitment. In the end, I want to provide people with the opportunity to live and dream big — or at the very least provide them with something they can take forever and remember.
Q: What are your hobbies? What activities do you participate in outside of school?
A: My hobbies are playing golf and being a player/coach in the World Baseball League. I enjoy hanging out with my family, two dogs and one cat; taking golf cart rides; going on vacations and being an active member at Hoover Country Club.
Q: What inspired you to become a teacher? Why did you choose to teach mathematics?
A: A coach by the name of Joel Morris inspired me to become a teacher based upon volunteering as an assistant varsity baseball coach at John Carroll Catholic High School. My love for teaching baseball sparked my interest in making it a career in something else that I was always good at: math. I chose mathematics because it was a subject that I always enjoyed, was good at and welcomed the challenge of every question that I faced, plus I had always wanted to be a math major and go into construction or mechanics when I was younger.
Q: What do you love most about teaching at i3 Academy?
A: I love how supportive our administration is and the family vibe that my colleagues bring to the workplace every day. My eighth grade team of teachers has been my rock in the hardest times, and we have all helped one another with a family-first and self-care mindset. I enjoy the opportunity to be a pathfinder and start a golf program at i3 Academy and the openness to break down barriers and open new doors.
Q: What inspired you to begin a golf program at i3? What are your hopes for the program?
A: My dream is to find the next Tiger Woods. My dream is to help bring people to golf and to allow golf to give back to each person that tries, grinds, endures and pushes past the frustrations of the sport. I taught at i3 for half a year without coaching before I missed it so much and the relationships that can be built from having a program. I knew that I would have at least one student that felt that it was a brand-new opportunity to try something that could help them in life or create a safe environment to learn a game or life skills. My hope for the program is to make sectionals, substate and eventually compete at a level where we can think about a state appearance, but first, it is to create the love of golf, what it can give back, and to help golfers understand the importance of hard work and creating healthy relationships.
Q: Who is your role model and why?
A: My role model is my wife, Kate. She is resilient, a hard worker, helps others constantly with being an Occupational Therapist at UAB, and comes home to a second job of being the best mother to our children. She is an advocate for what is right, working hard, and finding your passion to be able to change the world and influence others.
Q: What is next for you? What are your goals for the future?
A: My goals are to continue to build the golf program and build relationships so that my golfers can experience what other kids their ages experience within the sport. My goal is to leave a lasting legacy within i3 Academy and to build a program with prestige and integrity. I3 Academy has treated me with respect, has shown me so much support in this endeavor and has made me feel at home. I seek to raise the bar in mathematics and to have my students progress, close gaps, and grow within mathematics to give them a better opportunity to be successful in math or careers of their choosing.
