List of 12 frequently asked questions.

• FAVORITE PLACE AT THACHER:

  A tie between the chapel and the back patio of the dining hall, especially right after the sun disappears behind the mountains.

• THE BOOK, MOVIE, WORK OF ART, OR PIECE OF MUSIC I CANNOT IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT:

  I know I’m basic, but I love Harry Potter. It helped instill a love of reading in me that has continued to thrive over two decades later. I also will include Sufi poetry, specifically from Rumi, that always soothes my soul no matter what is going on. I love Joan Miro as a visual artist, the wacky and surreal have always inspired me. Music… I like a lot of different kinds of music, but an artist I cannot live without is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The cultural and spiritual connection and what it does for me when I listen is undeniable.

• FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH:

  Pretty random I know, but I really love Ireland. I’ve only been once in my life, but there’s something about that place that hits me a certain way.

• HARDLY ANYBODY KNOWS THAT I...

  Am a marshmallow of a human being. Just kidding most people who know me well know this.

• WHAT I WANTED TO BE WHEN I GREW UP (WHEN I WAS 10):

  Industrial designer—I wanted to design cars and other stuff I thought was cool.

• WHEN NOT IN MY OFFICE I CAN BE FOUND:

  Sitting outside somewhere cozy reading or writing or thinking about something and looking lost in my thoughts.

• SINCE YOU ASKED ME TO BRAG, HERE'S THE PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT I'M MOST PROUD OF:

  Honestly, whenever I see the hard work and determination of my students pay off, when they write something brilliant or find that insightful comment that they had inside of them all along, when they grow as thinkers and young people, when they feel good about the work that they’ve done and what they have learned, when they don’t care about the grade but instead focus on the knowledge making process… I feel like I must have done something right! Oh, and getting my PhD felt pretty amazing too.

• MY PRIMARY ROLE AT THACHER:

  Teaching English, but also coaching JV XC and advising for El Archivero.

• I KNEW I WANTED TO WORK AT THACHER WHEN:

  I thought about the type of community it offers not only me but my whole family. It’s really hard to duplicate this environment anywhere else in the world.

• FAVORITE PLACE IN MY IMAGINATION:

  Anywhere my kids take me when we’re playing make-believe.

• FAVORITE JOB PERK:

  The view of the mountains, particularly from the upper field, always gets me. It’s beautiful and I feel lucky that I get to see them every day.

• WHAT I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP (NOW):

  A good husband and father and teacher and overall man.