Tag Archives: family

I’ve been around educators all my life.

Mom spent 30 years in a kindergarten classroom, and my Dad taught social studies at the high school level for an even longer period of time. Some of the best teachers I had were personal friends of our family. We’d camp with their families; go on fishing trips, and, during some summers, many of Dad’s friends and co-workers had a house-painting service to help pay the bills. Until baseball took over as my primary interest at about age 14, most summers were spent camping and visiting America with Mom, Dad, my brother and sister. I am blessed in that my learning and experiencing the world around us and developing our interests are fundamental values my parents instilled.

It didn’t stop there. My sister earned an elementary education degree; my sister-in-law teaches elementary school. My brother-in-law is a principal, and his wife is a teacher as well. My wife’s mom taught kindergarten before taking that passion to support education to elected life, becoming a Lieutenant Governor. (By the way, in talking with her, I can’t get a straight answer on which audience, 5-year olds or elected officials, was the easiest to work with.) With all those educators around me, I’m a bit of a “black sheep.”