I’m a seven-year resident of Sharon. My wife, Carol, and I moved to Sharon in 2006. We bought our first home here.
I earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Oregon in 1992 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from The University of California, Berkeley in 1997. Carol and I moved to Massachusetts in 1997 so I could do postdoctoral research in structural biology at Harvard. Later, I moved to Harvard Medical School, where I worked in structural biology research until 2006.
While at Harvard, I had the pleasure of teaching and mentoring a number of undergraduate and graduate students in their first research projects. I began to feel much more satisfaction from teaching than from research. In 2006 I earned teaching licenses in chemistry and physics. I am now licensed to teach chemistry, physics and mathematics in Massachusetts.
I bring to the classroom a deep background knowledge of why our students need to learn math and science and a drive to bring that relevance to them. I also have a deep respect for the social sciences and liberal arts.
I taught for two years at Sharon High School before moving to an independent school, the Moses Brown School in Providence, RI, where I currently teach math, grades 9-11. At Sharon High, I taught 9th grade physical science, 10th grade biology and 11th grade chemistry.
I love teaching. It’s both the most difficult and most rewarding job I’ve ever had. I find joy in teaching anything I know, whether it’s chemistry or math, woodworking or flyfishing. I love to see the spark of recognition when one of my students makes an important connection. I am a student of teaching. I read everything I can about teaching and learning, and I seek out and observe good teachers.
I’m running for school committee because I believe that the Sharon School District needs the perspective of a working educator who is in touch with the changing landscape of teaching and learning. Our district can and ought to be leading by example with progressive efforts to improve teaching of the whole child.
We need to get better at thinking outside the boundaries that are generated by a growing and activist educational bureaucracy, while remaining compliant with the rules. We need to strive to build bridges between a terrific and committed faculty and school administration, so that our dedicated teachers and administrators feel like they’re part of an education team.
In the end, it’s all about the students. I intend to make sure that every decision we make, every policy stance taken, is in the net interest of our students, and that all of our students are put in a position to succeed.
*photo by my student, Zackery Leman
Learning Curve 