Morris, IL
"When I was an eighth grader, I really liked my teacher. She was a nun who was probably in her sixties. In addition to teaching a classroom of 48 students, she also served as the principal. I liked her because she was fair. You could tell that she liked teaching the boys. I thought that I would like to have a career like she had. I would be able to not only have time in the classroom, I would also have an opportunity to do all the other things that are done in a school. I thought about other things in high school and even in my first year of college, but I always kept coming back to this. I began as a teacher, but within the first few weeks of teaching, my goal became to be the principal.
For the past 43 years I have lived out what I wanted to be from the time that I was 12 years old. It's funny because some people have a career that they never wanted and they did not like their job.
They stuck with their job because of the money that they made. I was fortunate in that money was not my main source of motivation. Building community among the members of a group was always my main source of motivation and my greatest sense of satisfaction.
The success of those with whom you've had relationships is such a great reward. This success can come from your relationships with both the students and the adults in the community. Their success becomes your success. Empowering them to succeed becomes your career.
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If I could be anywhere, I’d like to roller blade along Lake Michigan with my wife, Trudy, beside me riding her bike.
I like my Field Day because it is with someone I love and who loves me. It is inexpensive and does not call for me to travel far. My suggestion to a friend is that a simple day spent with loved ones need not cost a great deal of money or travel to experience. We should always be looking to simple every day experiences to make us happy.
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When I was a child, I was enamored with baseball. When I was in grade school, there were only 16 teams and I knew all the players names and stats. I was not a good baseball player myself, but I sure enjoyed following the sport.”