The “nut behind the wheel” as I often like to refer to myself, is a retired San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) educator originally certified to teach in the swamps of Louisiana where I formerly worked in the sordid field of journalism. When my teaching engine finally burned out after a 34-year career I was certified in Texas to teach English, speech, social studies, journalism, and technology applications. I’ve taught everything from government and economics to engine repair, the later becoming a big side interest that led to a book, “Building Budget Brits” after many years of writing for various motorcycle magazines and finally becoming the editor of a now defunct one.
My relatively broad areas of certification resulted primarily from working with exclusively “at-risk” students in alternative settings. Unlike some teachers who are, sadly, actually “sentenced” to teach in this sort of environment, I eagerly volunteered for this assignment due to a desire to “work with my own kind.” I was a terrible, problematic student who came very close numerous times to either dying or being imprisoned. Only by the grace of God was I able to mature and prosper and also feel part of my blessing was being born middle class and white, and as a consequence, given a lot more breaks than most of my minority students. I taught a good number of 18-year-old felons who were branded long before they fully comprehended a very harsh and most complicated world, a situation I very much seek to change.
As for the image on this page, it should be clear now I’m not the teacher pictured. The student faces, however, while a bit younger than most of my former students, truly do represent the majority of the students I worked with and often grew to love. The photo is from a display at Mission Espada now used in the restored classroom shown in the 1941 picture.
The mission theme I decided to use represents to me not only much of the best of this old city and a critical part of its basic culture, but also my faith in God who delivered me out of many perils and continues to do so for all of us even if we usually fail to recognize this condition.
While I’m Lutheran and not Catholic, I am a huge fan of Pope Francis and after living in two areas with large populations of Catholics, Cajun South Louisiana and now San Antonio, I’ve made many great Christian friends from these communities. I also married one who has been my life’s greatest blessings and learned much about the South from her I’ll eventually share. It’s an interesting combination, a radical Yankee transplant from New York who married a descendant of a famous Confederate general.
With respect to a mission statement, I have to say it’s rather broad as are my interests in general. Seeking better ways for all of us to coexist together are the most important ones.
I also think it’s important to mention that all names used in this blog represent actual people, but most names have been changed to protect privacy.