CURRENT MISSION

Raise my daughters to be good people, teach my students well, keep learning.

ABOUT ME

I'm a high school teacher, husband, and father of two young girls. I've had the chance to travel a lot, and can't wait to take my daughters on similar travels. I was a collegiate oarsman and now I coach crew.

Interests

I teach comparative religion and philosophy. I read primarily non-fiction: behavioral economics, popular psychology, international relations, development, technology, and history. Some are are "The Signal and the Noise," "The Honest Truth about Dishonesty," "Thinking, Fast and Slow," and "Tubes." Podcasts include "Planet Money," "Future Tense," "All in the Mind," "99% Invisible," "The Psych Files," and various How Stuff Works podcasts. I blogged last year on my sabbatical and wished it seemed to fit into my life while teaching, but I'm not sure it does.

• books
• coach
• technology
• traveling
• podcasts
• economics
• teaching
• history
• international relations
• psychology
• religion
• mountains

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm not as amazed by moments or sights as I am by people. I interviewed thirty Palestinian and Israeli religion teachers in 2012-13 on sabbatical - not so much one awestruck moment, but fascinating in the aggregate. I also enjoyed political conversations in Ramallah and Tel Aviv, etc. A long time ago now, Once I was approached by a monk in a temple in Thailand with his English textbook and asked if I could teach him for a little while - great fun. I did not at all like (does this count as being awestruck?) getting some version of altitude sickness after taking the high road over some Tibetan mountains by mistake. At home I have been amazed by the wisdom and sheer intellectual firepower of some of my students.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bhutan, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Monaco, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Israel, United States