I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a 7th grader at Burleigh Manor Middle School.  During high school, (I am a Centennial High School graduate) I knew three things.  One, I wanted to be a teacher.  Two, my favorite and best subject was History.  Three, I had a strong dislike for science.  However, as high school was coming to an end I became interested in a career in pharmacy.  Getting into pharmacy school requires a science background, and so I reluctantly entered college as Biology major.
     I completed my first year of college perfectly content with my decision to study pharmacy.  However, at the beginning of my second year I began to have second thoughts about my decision.  It was over the Thanksgiving Break that year that I decided my true calling was to become a teacher.  Upon returning to school after the Thanksgiving Break, I filled out a change of major form, and the rest is history.  Well, almost.  I decided to stick with Biology, because I was fortunate to have some excellent teachers in college, who sparked my interest in the subject.
     In 2003, I earned my B.S. in Biology from Salisbury University (Go Gulls!).  I earned my M.S. in Educational Administration from McDaniel College in 2008.  I am certified to teach Chemistry and Biology, though I consider myself to be a Chemistry teacher.  Even though I am certified to be an Assistant Principal, at this time I have no plans to leave teaching.
     This is my seventh year of teaching at River Hill.  This year I am teaching Chemistry and Chemistry GT.  My teaching interests are in the areas of Atomic Structure and Mathematical/Chemistry relationships.  I am particularly interested in Quantum Chemistry, the origins of our Universe, and Nuclear Chemistry.  In the past, I have also taught Introduction to Chemistry and Physics, Biology, and Algebra II.
     In the spring, I coach the JV Baseball team.  This will my seventh year coaching baseball at River Hill and my second as the JV Head Coach.  Previously, I have served as the assistant coach at both the JV and Varsity levels.
     Baseball is without a doubt my favorite sport, and really the only one I follow.  You may also know it as America's Pastime and/or the Greatest Game Ever Invented.  Hitting a round baseball with a round bat is the hardest thing to do in any sport.  Ted Williams said that, and he is the greatest hitter of all-time.
      Besides teaching and baseball, I have several hobbies outside of school. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.  I am also a HUGE music fan.  I play a few instruments, some better than others.  My favorite is guitar.  My collection includes a Rickenbacker 330 6-string, G&L ASAT, Epiphone Les Paul, and Epiphone Acoustic.
      My favorite band is, without a doubt, The Beatles.  However, I have many other artists in my collection such as, CCR and John Fogerty, U2, Collective Soul, The Killers, Alice in Chains, Audioslave, REM, The Beach Boys, Pete Yorn, Fountains of Wayne, Live, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Oasis, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Rooney, Superdrag, Weezer, Green Day, Blink 182, Stone Temple Pilots, Brad Paisley, Nirvana, Taylor Swift, Dashboard Confessional, and many more.
      Some of my favorite television shows include, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Lost, The Gilmore Girls, The Office, Supernatural, American Idol, The King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Vampire Diaries, and Chuck.
      My wife, Georgina, is a school counselor.  She works at Twin Ridge Elementary School in Frederick County.  She was born in England and most of her family still lives there!  We live in a small town just outside the city of Frederick, with our Yellow Labrador, Lucy.  
      If you are in one of my classes, I hope you enjoy it and have a very successful year.  If you are the parent of a student in one of my classes, I hope your child enjoys my class and has a very successful year.

 

"The guitar's all very well as a hobby, John, but you'll never make a living out of it." - Aunt Mimi to her nephew John Lennon

"In times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future.  The learned usually find themselves beautifully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists." - Eric Hoffer

"Get organized!" - T. Gruneberg