Mike’s Story
- High School Teacher
- Lawyer
- Veteran of the US Navy
My Life Experiences inform my teaching.
I look for each student’s areas of strength. I search for internal motivation and help equip them with the tools to be successful.
I learn about who they are and what’s important to them. And when the fire is ignited and the vision is shared, the student has a chance to achieve at their highest level. And that improves lives.
I was a bad student in high school.
I was smart, but my high school GPA was terrible. I coasted through school and did well enough on the ACT to get into a really good college.
As I look back at the time in high school when I did not maximize my talents and abilities, I often wonder… Why was that?
Vision Drives Decision. I apply this to my teaching every day.
As a student, I had no vision. No clarity. No idea of what I wanted to do or be.
So, because I did not see my future clearly, I went through the motions.
I’ve found that when a class aligns with the student’s vision, they excel. They feel the importance of the class and learn all they can. They’re engaged and thirst for more, so they can apply it to their daily life.
I was 6’ 6” tall in high school.
But as a high school basketball player, I was relegated to the bench.
I had talent. And size!
And I did everything I was asked, at 100 mph, but no matter what, I was always a backup.
My coaches didn’t engage me. They didn’t cultivate a relationship. I was not encouraged to make mistakes and ask questions.
I was eager to help the team and desperately needed someone to ignite the fire.
It was a missed opportunity.
Most teachers love school.
They loved high school. They loved college. And they came back to school to teach.
Most trained teachers excel in the academic environment yet find it challenging to connect with students outside of it. Engaging with a student personally is arduous for them. I am not a conventional teacher.
A college education can be transformational. But college was a mess for me.
I changed majors four times and was kicked out of the education program because I disagreed with what they were teaching me (my youthful hubris knew no bounds).
I dropped out in my senior year. I had no vision. Yes. I went back.
I graduated from Alma College– 5.5 years after I started.
After college, I needed to find a job quickly.
So, I applied for a job for which I had no experience or knowledge. I was 23 when I became a paraprofessional for a special need’s classroom at a middle school. And I am forever thankful for that.
This job required patience. And I was not known for my patience!
But I learned to take complex ideas and make them easier to understand.
I found something I was good at and loved doing. Teaching kids.
I decided to pursue a master’s degree in education at Aquinas College and become a teacher.
In two years, I was certified to teach History and English. I then bounced around substitute teaching in varying classrooms and districts for two years.
I learned about the unique challenges that kids in urban areas and rural areas had. I had a better understanding of emotionally impaired kids. I learned how to effectively teach cognitively impaired kids. I understood the challenges of physically impaired kids. I taught middle schoolers. I taught high schoolers.
I honed my ability to connect and serve varying types of students. Yet, I decided I was ready for a new challenge.
I joined the United States Navy at age 28.
I had been thinking about this for five years, as I was formulating my own vision. The urge to serve wouldn’t leave me alone, and 9/11 was the main driver – so I went to bootcamp in October 2005.
I had a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. I could have been an officer. But I chose to enlist because I was a good candidate to work as a linguist and I decided that this was how I could best serve the county that I love.
I believe in serving others. Teaching is serving.
The military challenged everything about me.
At bootcamp, I was punished for the misdeeds of others as we were taught to be responsible for our team. Ever try to learn Arabic? It is extremely difficult.
I found out, while serving 78 days underwater without seeing the sun on the USS Florida, that I was claustrophobic.
Plus, there was the tedious monotony of sitting at a desk doing my job for hours on end.
But the rewards are immeasurable! My life was forever changed by overcoming challenges in the military.
I design my classes so that students overcome their challenges.
The single most difficult challenge I’ve had in an academic setting was learning Arabic.
I scored very high on the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB), which tested my ability to learn languages. That test lied to me.
Classes were eight hours a day, five days a week for 16 months and I struggled mightily.
This was a new and unusual feeling for me. I’d never struggled in a classroom setting before. I’d been lazy, but never struggled.
I teetered on the edge of failure. And if I failed, there was a very real possibility that I would be sent out to the fleet to chip paint!
In the end, I passed the final examination by 1%. Whew!
And I understood what it is to be frustrated in a classroom.
After serving my six-year tour in the Navy, I was in search of what’s next.
The Post-9/11 GI bill allowed me to afford Law School, so I enrolled and received my Law degree, from Western Michigan University, Thomas Cooley Law School, two years later. I learned that the Law curriculum is very complex. It requires critical thinking. Law School helped me develop skills I didn’t know I had.
While in Law School, I taught High School Criminal Law and English. Yes, I was very busy. During this period, I learned to take complex concepts and teach them in a simple manner. I realized I was a good communicator and that I could push students to their next level.
But after seven years of teaching High School, I was again looking to stretch my capacity.
So, I started a Law practice centered around business formation and estate planning.
Helping clients start a business and arranging estate plans was rewarding. But soon I began to miss the interaction with my students and seeing them grow daily.
I was reminded of my passion for helping kids.
Law School for Teens is the perfect convergence of everything about me. At the exact right time.
This platform allows my vision to enable teenage kids to reach their potential in their effort to improve their lives and the lives of others through my teaching methods, to be achieved.
I have finally clarified my vision. I want to know what the world looks like when everyone is operating as the best version of themselves. Law School for Teens allows me to do my part in helping that vision become a reality.
During my classes I share rich, real-life experiences while teaching law curriculum to teen aged students. I ignite their fire and challenge them to establish their vision.
The avalanche of students that have signed up and taken multiple classes plus the hundreds of very favorable reviews that I received, has been
overwhelming and humbling for me.
It’s encouraging.
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