You really don't want to hear ALL of this, do you? I didn't think so.
OK, I grew up un the Washington, DC suburbs. I had some, umm, issues with other kids at school, so my parents, teachers, and principal were perfectly OK we me essentially skipping school and staying home whenever I felt like it. Yes, I was absent sixty days in fifth grade. The reason they went along with this is they knew the only things I did while at home were read my atlas and Mom's books and make up games involving statistics (except that day I cut my thumb open with a razor blade).
During this time I was subjected to constant bullying, not so much at school (i was a big kid) but from older kids in the neighborhood. As such, I empathize with the victims of bullying and never tolerated it in my classrooms.
In eighth grade I had a major learning experience. In my algebra class I was having problems understanding factoring. Instead of explaining it to me, my teacher said, "Donald, you will never be any good at math." I've struggled wih math ever since, but I did learn something important from him - how not to teach!
In eleventh grade an English teacher invited me to take a course entitled "Writing Workshop." I was horrified! I said, "Hey, I didn't sign up for this!" But I had no choice. Mrs. Jensen became my mentor. I believe I remember every word she said to me! That was in 1971.
The following two decades were pretty forgettable, so let's do that. In the fall of 1987 I moved to Miami, where found a job as a teacher's aide at a residence for intellectually challenged adults. I just LOVED the "clients" as we called them, and it was there that I found my vocation.
I stayed there until March of 1990, when I traveled to Spain. Why? OK, I met someone. During my seven years there I found myself teaching English, although to tell you the truth I didn't really know what I was doing. In fact, I didn't know the difference between a pronoun and a preposition. Still, it all counts as teaching experience.
In 1997, I started having serious back problems. I went to a local orthopedic surgeon, who said, "There is nothing I can do for your back. What you need to do is go back to the States, finish your degree, and teach English." In fact, I did just that. But (shocker coming) the following day I was speaking to a friend who happened to be a nurse at the hospital where that "surgeon" worked. He said, "Good thing, because that guy leaves everybody paralyzed!"
Whatevever else happens to me, I'm lucky, just lucky!
After a year finishing up at a community college in Maryland I enrolled at The University of Texas-Pan American, which is located near the Mexican border...and it's cheap! While I was there I was selected to serve as a teacher assistant and also found a job at the UTPA Writing Center, which was my first experience with tutoring.
In April of 2000, while still working on my degree, I met Lilly. Lilly is from Tantoyuca, Veracruz, Mexico, and on June 11, 2001, we were married Hidalgo County Courthouse.
I didn't mention my first wife, the Spanish one, but I will say this. Lilly's sisters (all four of them) were mumbling about the fact that I was married, so I went to a lawyer about a divorce. This guy was 75 years-old, 5'1" with a huge cowboy hat and a drawl to match it.He said his fee would be $1,800. When I told him the now my ex had had a child by another man, he said, "Well let's do it for $1,300. This gon' be easy!"
We came to Tampico in 2005, where I worked as an ESL Teacher at several institutions.
In 2018 I officially retired, drawing a minimal Social Security pension.
Mexico is lovely; I wouldn't (and couldn't afford to) live anywhere else.
Lilly comes from a family of eight. In 2019 she suffered a stroke and still has little use of her right arm or hand. She's a trooper, though - a real fighter! She continues to improve and adapt, while my back has collapsed in a heap. I get around with a walker now, while Lilly is now able to walk to the corner store with her cane. Far be it for me to complain about technolgy as online work is my only option now. In three weeks I turn 70. Don't worry, it doesn't show so much, at least not on the screen.
I hope I've written enough...wouldn't want to bore you ;-)
