Staff Profile

I was born in Washington DC, and raised in Boulder, Colorado. The son of a theoretical physicist and violin teacher, I grew up with a wide variety of influences and interests. After studying literature at Bard College, violin at Oberlin, and art at Pratt Institute, I graduated with a degree in Film from New York University.

In the mid '80s, I wrote and produced videos for educational publishers in Chicago. Ranging in topics from Math to Myths to Lasers, some of these productions received national awards for educational media. In the mid '90s, I was an Exhibit Designer for the Chicago Children's Museum. I designed hands-on activities and display components for exhibits about subjects such as Paper Sculptures and Conservation.

In 1997, my wife and I moved to Colorado. A month after we arrived here, I was hired by Dean Titterington to be Cherry Creek Academy's Computer Teacher. Since 2019, I’ve been our school’s Gifted Learning teacher. My teaching endorsements are Gifted/Talented, Special Education, Instructional Technology, Visual Arts, English Language Arts, and Elementary Education.

A key goal of gifted education is to genuinely service children, and help them develop intrinsic reasons for trying hard at school. We want them to not only achieve extrinsic rewards, but to understand how fully valued they are as people. We want our GT program to dynamically connect students with their imaginative and analytical skills. It's a constructivist learning environment, featuring dynamic, engaging activities and Autonomous Learning.

Autonomous Learning is a model promoted by our district for GT students. The word “autonomous” means self-driven. This description, from the Autonomous Learning Model Resource book, describes the overall approach:

Autonomous learners perceive learning and living as two main components of their ongoing development of potential in the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical domains. Their motivation comes from within, they internalize skills, and passion learning is their driving force.

I aim to make my class a spirited learning experience for students, and one that will facilitate lifelong habits of creativity, analysis, and effort.