My desire as a teacher is to inspire and get the students excited about science related topics. I want the students to be involved, questioning, and seeking a deeper understanding of the material but more importantly to be able to use this information in real-world situations. I desire the material to come alive and allow the student the ability to explore it in more detail. Ultimately, my passion is to guide the students to further investigate and consider a future career in a science related field. 

My vast experience and enthusiasm to teach weather and military aircraft stems from serving in the United States Air Force as a Meteorologist providing outstanding forecast support for aviation assets and personnel protection. I enjoyed mentoring the new incoming Airmen while in the service and now want to share my experience with students on the Outschool platform. This platform provides an excellent opportunity to share my real-world experience in a diverse, open, and honest format. As an educator, it is important to be intentional about utilizing expert peer reviewed and accurate research for the classes I develop on Outschool. I utilize top-notch subscription research-based tools such as Aviation Week and Space Technology content, Flight Journal Magazine, Pima Air and Space Museum membership providing in person access to over 500 different aircraft. 

Furthermore, it is also important to be connected to the learners and allow them to interact with one another and ask questions in the classes. This keeps the classes engaging, fun, and helps the students to enhance their learning journey. Even with my vast background knowledge as a subject matter expert, I do NOT always have all the answers. Sometimes the students may even stump me on a question. I relish this occasion because it gives me the opportunity to learn something new and get back to the student quickly with the answer. This keeps the integrity in the class environment and helps everyone learn something new. Additionally, allowing parents to ask questions and to be available for both the students and parents throughout the duration of the course is also very important. Timely communication is key for all involved in this learning journey. This combination of EPIC teaching and learning makes my classes fun, enjoyable, and hopefully inspires students to consider a STEM related career field.

My personal background is expansive and diverse with decades of experience in both the military and as a private business owner. I have provided leadership as an officer and tailored forecasts for aircraft, personnel, and for special operators. I successfully fulfilled government contracts as a weather subject matter expert teaching Special Operations Weather Technicians (SOWT) meteorology and ensuring they were ready to deploy world-wide. I have been learning, researching, and growing my military aircraft knowledge base for over 30 years and continue to build this knowledge base. I have various degrees from an Associates in Weather Technology to a Bachelor’s in Science in Professional Aeronautics, and a couple of other assorted Master level degrees. Lastly, I am a STEM Physical Sciences state certified teacher. I love researching and developing my classes about military aircraft and weather-related classes as well. I helped my wife homeschool our two children until high school. Lastly, I love hiking, mountain biking, and reading.