Educational Philosophy

Education Is Not Meant to Produce Identical Outcomes

Education is not meant to produce identical outcomes. It is meant to develop human beings.

Over nearly four decades in public education — teaching Advanced Placement courses, co-taught inclusion classes, coaching athletics, directing theater, and working with students across the academic spectrum — I came to believe one thing deeply:

Teachers are the best people to determine what should happen in their classrooms.

Standards matter. Accountability matters. Rigor matters. But when compliance replaces curiosity, and when metrics replace meaning, we risk draining the joy from learning.

Square Pegs in Round Holes

One of the most formative lessons I taught was called Square Pegs in Round Holes.

I began that lesson by playing a song by Kathy Mattea, a singer-songwriter from Nitro, West Virginia. I would then tell my students a true story shared with me by a close friend who had taught at Nitro High School when Kathy was a student.

As the story goes, Kathy frequently skipped class to sit in the bathroom and play her guitar. One day, my friend confronted her and said, “If you don’t forget about your music and get serious about school, you’re going to end up a failure.”

Of course, Kathy Mattea went on to become a Grammy-winning artist.

I would then ask my students a simple but uncomfortable question: Does school sometimes stifle the very creativity it claims to nurture?

From there, I would have them work in groups to design solutions. How could schools continue their academic mission while encouraging students who think, create, and learn differently?

The point of the lesson was never to criticize education. It was to remind students — and myself — that systems must leave room for human variation.

Concepts Over Fragments

Whether I was teaching AP Government, AP Economics, AP Psychology, or co-teaching inclusion classes, my focus was always conceptual understanding.

Facts matter. But facts without framework fade quickly. Concepts endure.

Experiential learning — simulations, debates, collaborative problem solving, structured discussions — produces deeper intellectual engagement than memorization alone.

I have seen some of the most engaged learners emerge from classrooms where expectations were high, learning was active, and students were trusted with meaningful thinking.

Rigor and Access

I taught across academic tracks — from Advanced Placement to co-taught inclusion settings. I have worked with students headed to elite universities and students who struggled to see themselves as “academic.”

Rigor should not be reserved for a narrow track. Concept-driven learning should be accessible to all students.

The goal is not to make every student identical. The goal is to challenge each student meaningfully.

Beyond the Classroom

For 37 years I coached high school basketball. I also coached and taught debate, and served as technical director for multiple high school and community theater programs.

Athletics, arts, and extracurricular programs are not distractions from education. They are part of it.

Teamwork, discipline, creativity, leadership, and resilience are learned in gyms, on stages, and in rehearsal rooms as much as in lecture notes.

Why ScholarForge Exists

ScholarForge reflects these beliefs.

It is built on the idea that teachers are professionals. That meaningful curriculum requires intentional design. That joy and rigor can coexist. And that education should develop thinkers — not just test takers.

My career has been dedicated to public education. My wife is a retired theater and communications teacher. Both of my sons are educators.

Education is not simply a profession in our family — it is a calling.

ScholarForge is my contribution to that calling.