In July 2003 I emigrated from the United Kingdom, married and settled to live and work in Columbia. I was educated in England, gaining my BA in Ancient and Modern History from Oxford University in 1999. Subsequently, I trained to teach History at Nottingham University and then served as a History Teacher and second in department at Fairfax 11 – 18 school in Birmingham, England for three years.
In January 2004 I joined the Social Studies staff here at OMHS and have taught Regular, Honors and AP History classes, in US, World History and World Religions. It has been my privilege to teach History every year that I have been teaching. Education has always provided me with a satisfying challenge and I love to see students enjoy history, develop their thinking skills and increase their knowledge of the past and what it means to us today.
For the past two summers I have been working as an Assistant Principal in the Howard County Comprehensive Summer School program. The opportunity to explore leadership, and to serve students of Howard County has been a privilege. It is a particular blessing to be able to look out for OMHS students over the summer as well as during the school year.
This year I will be developing a new program for the Peer Leaders of Oakland Mills (PLOOM2.0). Along with a few colleagues we hope to develop a program of leadership and mentoring development for students at the Mill. I think this is an exciting way to build community and invest in the future of our village.
Technology, and its use in education is almost as much of a passion of mine as history itself. I try to embed as many contemporary tools into my instruction as I can, but also ensuring that learning technology does not take precedence over learning history. I am a frequent contributor to a number of educational networks online (the History Teacher’s Discussion Forum in particular, and @richsmart on twitter), I blog relatively regularly at BloggingSmart and see myself as a life-long-learner in our new collaborative, connected world.
Oakland Mills means more to my wife (who also works at Oakland Mills High School) and I than any community we have ever experienced. Three years ago we bought a town home in the village near the school. You will often see us walking our dog ‘Dicey’ around the playing fields or shopping in either Oakland Mills or Owen Brown village center. We love being a part of the school community and hope to stay here for many years. Where else could we find the same sense of belonging?
