-
Birth
A new leader is born. This is of great significance to me. -
Period: to
Birth through Present Day
My life, though I don't like putting an "end date" on it... Wish this had a "From this date until PRESENT" option :) -
My Sister is Born
My sister, Tammy, is born just 14 months after me. This is significant in the sense that I am a firstborn child and have always had a younger (barely) sister following me throughout life. -
Period: to
Bus Patrol
My first "job." My class had the opportunity to be the oldest kids at our elementary school for two years in a row. We were charged with having an orderly bus, as well as taking care of the little kids as they get on and off the bus. I probably spent the majority of my energy yelling at kids to "sit down" and to get their feet out of the aisle. A youthful taste of power, to be sure. -
Started "Scorekeeping" for Basketball
I grew up playing basketball in the Roseville Recreation league. My mom worked on the board. When I wasn't playing games, I started to do all the scorekeeping. I bring this up because it introduced me to stress, pressure and attention to detail during a job. The parents/fans weren't exactly understanding when the 10 year old kid missed a point or two on the scoreboard. I learned how to cope with that. -
Period: to
High School
Attended Roseville Area High School. There were several, small leadership experiences I had in high school that prepared me for college and life in general. I also, like everyone else, saw several examples of classroom leadership through my teachers. A few teachers have long stood out as models for me from high school. Mr. Mraz -- Humanities -- taught me the importance of using humor and relationships while maintaining high expectations. He's one big reason I teach English. -
Period: to
Basketball Officiating
I officiated basketball through high school and early college. This put me in a leadership role not only for the players, but also the coaches, fans and scorekeepers. Come my Junion/Senior years, I was also running the "tryouts" for the in-house league. I put the players through drills so that the coaches in the stands could select players and make a team. As a young man, this was a tremendous experience. -
Pastoral Call Committee
Members of my church wanted a youth representative on the Pastoral Call Committee. I was chosen to be a part of the interview and hiring committee. This was my first experience working with ALL adults and doing a major hiring process. The committee really listened to my voice in the process. When we brought our recommendation to the congregation, I was asked to field a ton of questions, as members wanted to be sure the new pastor was "good with kids." It was an honor and an experience! -
Period: to
Hardees!
Worked for and eventually became a shift manager for our local Hardees. My first "real job," working in fast food taught me a lot about service, hard work, money, and working with people different than me. -
Period: to
Ground Round -- Cook and Waiter
I worked at Ground Round on and off through college -- first as a cook, and then later as a waiter. The restaurant manager was an early influence on me. An ex-marine, Phil had a deliberate style that was humorous and demanding. He would teach and reteach and always explain the "why" for his demands. Tough guy w/soft heart. -
Period: to
College Years -- Augsburg
My experiences at Augsburg gave me tons of new leadership opportunities as well as chances to witness leadership firsthand. -
Period: to
Orientation Leader
Served as an Freshman Orientation Leader. Through this position, I worked with campus staff to make sure new Freshman become aclimated to life at Augsburg. We were trained to facilitate group activities and discussions, to help students register for classes, to give campus tours, and to work as a team.
Additionally, we worked with campus staff including the activities coordinator, registrar's office, financial aid, residence life, and the office of the president. -
Period: to
Coordinator of Orientation Programming
After one year as an Orientation Leader, I was hired to be the Coordinator of the OL program. Along with a co-leader, we were in charge of hiring and training of student orientation leaders, all logistics of summer registration as well as fall orientation and freshman seminar, coordination among other campus offices (admissions, registrar, residence life, etc). -
Filled in for Activities/Orientation Director
When the staff Orientation/Activities director left to pursue other opportunities, there was a period where I was given his responsibilities while the position was posted. In addition to being a part of the interview and hiring process, I represented that position in campus staff meetings, answering calls, making short-term plans, etc. -
Period: to
Teacher -- Columbia Heights
My teaching years in Columbia Heights (Central Middle School). Though my beginnings were rocky, by the end of my stay there, I was definitely viewed as a teacher leader. I saw a myriad of leaders while there. One superintendent ran the district's budget into the ground and then left on a golden parachute. The next seemed to revel in her "battle ax" image. Our principal was overworked on student discipline and didn't (at least to me) have much to do with instruction. -
Period: to
Teacher - Robbinsdale
Plymouth Middle School in Rdale. *Note: I have decided not to comment on building experiences in Rdale, considering Susan Manikowski was my principal there and on-staff here. -
Wedding Day
I got married to a wonderful woman! -
Zoey's Birth
The birth of my daughter, Zoey -
Master's Degree -- Hamline
Finished my MAEd from Hamline in Curriculum and Instruction. -
Period: to
Teacher -- Crosswinds Arts and Science
Teacher for East Metro Integration District. As a small district, there are several (maybe too many) opportunities for teacher leadership. I've taken advantage of many of them. I've also worked under two Superintendents (Dr. Wahlstrom and Dr. Cassellius), three principals (Anne Anderson, Roger Kocinski, and Bryan Bass), and other leaders (Shari Thompson, Kathy Griebel, Greg Keith). Each has had an impact on my leadership. -
Period: to
Officiating (Part 2)
I came back to officiating after several years exploring coaching. Presently, I'm officiating high school basketball and a handful of JV/D3 college games. This other "career" has definitely informed my teaching and leadership. -
Zander's Birth
The birth of my son, Zander. -
Period: to
Negotiator for Teacher Contract
Served on negotiations team for the 2009-2011 contract cycle. -
Period: to
Union Leadership
Serving first as a building representative and then as the Vice President of our union. This role has put me in many unique leadership positions, from staffing and HR (hiring, training and firing), to member rights and contract concerns. -
Period: to
Negotiator for Teacher Contract (2011-13)
Currently serving as a negotator for next teacher contract (2011-13). -
Began Administrator's License Program
Started work towards a license in P-12 Principalship.