Where I've Been

Born and raised in the Belmont section of the Bronx, I attended the public schools in the area. I have many great memories of growing up in the Bronx. The places where I grew up and the friends I was fortunate enough to make will always be close to my heart. As a teenager, when I wasn't playing in a neighborhood rock band, I devoted myself to a Bigfoot expedition in the New York Botanical Garden! Though I still play music periodically, I have almost given up on the latter.

My Life as an Educator

I have been teaching since 1996, and I received my M.A. in English from Lehman College (CUNY) in 2001. I got my teacher-wings working as a Language Arts instructor in a SURR in the South Bronx. I finally found my niche teaching high school English. My love of classic literature cannot be expressed in the limited space here, so be sure to check out the links provided. For the more inquisitive folk, feel free to check out a paper I had done for an English Graduate class (click here).

When I'm Not Working...

When I am not grading papers, I like to spend time with my wife and newborn son.  I also enjoy reading the works of the great Sigmund Freud and playing music with the guys. I, along with some old friends, am currently involved in a project that pays homage to KISS. That's right, complete with costumes and makeup and all. We still, however, haven't mastered the art of getting into character (the face-paint takes forever) as we are constantly late for every gig! 

Web Sites I Like

• Being a musician, I spend lots of time checking out the chord progressions of various songs and artists. Harmony Central offers something for any artist that is somebody, from A to Z!
• If you need to brush up on your Shakespeare, check out All Shakespeare. This site asks for membership, but there is some great free stuff as well.
• If you are feeling adventurous, go to Contemporary Philosophy, Critical Theory and Postmodern Thought. This site offers some easy to understand abstracts to otherwise difficult thinkers.
• Since most of our contemporary stories (and movies) are only archetypes from mythology, it may be useful to check out The Encyclopedia Mythica. Just type-in the name of any figure from mythology in the search engine, and have fun. Remember, a good education consists of knowing the works from the Classical Era because it continues to influence us today.
  
• Lastly, when reading a classic text, it is in the reader's best interest to check out the criticism to see what you may have missed with the first reading! The Internet Public Library: Literary Criticism should keep you (as it does me) busy for hours.