Teacher and Speaker
MY CALLING as an EDUCATOR
My journey into teaching began in 1991, not in a traditional classroom, but at a moment of real need. A change in Texas traffic law required traffic-ticket clients to complete a defensive driving course, and my brother’s law firm needed to create an in-house program to meet that mandate. I stepped in to design and teach it.
At the time, defensive driving classes had a reputation—long, boring, and useless. Rather than accept that stereotype, I saw it as a challenge. I set out to prove that learning could be engaging, practical, and genuinely transformative.
Working within the strict guidelines set by the Texas Education Agency, I brought the course to life. I incorporated real Houston street footage, diagrams of actual accidents, and real traffic citations, connecting them directly to the safe-driving principles taught in class. I asked students hard, honest questions—like whether the “2-Second Rule” for following distance was even possible on Houston freeways. As expected, skepticism followed.
So, I had to quash the skepticism.
I presented self-made videos of myself driving during rush hour—through downtown Houston, along I-10, and around Loop 610—maintaining a consistent two-second following distance for several uninterrupted minutes in each setting. What had been dismissed as “useless” suddenly became real, visible, and achievable.
The response was powerful. Students returned. New clients came through word-of-mouth. The class wasn’t just informative—it was meaningful, practical, and memorable.
That experience revealed something fundamental to me: teaching is not just what I do—it is my calling. Ever since, I have approached education with the same philosophy—make learning real, challenge assumptions, and help students see that knowledge, when applied well, can truly change how they live and think.
From this point I chose to become a full-time educator: specifically a classical educator of young adults. I chose classical education after earning Master of Liberal Arts with a focus on Politics and Economics.
Becoming a classical educator, especially in a faith-grounded environment, allows me to positively influence young adults become the best version of themselves, not just what they know. I help form their whole being—mind, character, and soul—guiding them toward truth, goodness, and beauty.
By teaching young adults how to think rather than what to think, integrating faith and reason, and cultivating virtue, I play a part in preparing students not just for college, but for a life of wisdom and service.
Today, I teach high school Western Civilization, Accounting, and Business at Saint Thomas Episcopal School, a classical school that has been in Houston, TX since 1953.
I also teach Church Leadership to adults and students and lead the men’s group at Saint Thomas Episcopal Church—affirming that teaching is not merely my profession, but a calling that extends beyond the classroom.