I was born in Boston, MA on April 29, 1965 to Italian immigrants. My educational background includes a BA in History from the Union University in Ohio, an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from American InterContinental Univ. in Illinois and 26 additional Master in Arts credits in the Humanites from California State University. I have written a text book on the history of philosophy and have published several small journal articles (most related to the Knights Templar, Freemasonry, Gnosticism and Music's role in education). I am currently enrolled in classes of my own at the PhD level where I am majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies at Union Institute & University.

Teaching is a field of inquiry and is constantly evolving with changes in the student body, technology and society in general. I believe a teacher at any level must possess the foresight to recognize changes and the ability to adapt to them. Teaching humanities is unique in that the contributions of mankind are also always changing and adapting to the world around them. For example, expectations about the role or function of art, music, dance and philosophy have changed considerably with the myriad of new technologies now available. I believe that an effective teacher must have a great understanding of the subject matter being taught as well as underlying knowledge and experience in the field. A teacher's responsibility is to stay current in a field by engaging in research that can improve his/her knowledge. Teaching is a process of helping students make connections between their experiences and the subject matter. I believe that in order to be successful, teachers must learn to know their students. We must be aware of what knowledge students carry with them into the classroom and how to build on that knowledge. Knowing that every student and every class will be different prepares the teacher to adjust their material and approach.      

            In general, the role of a teacher is to be a facilitator; teachers should enable students to become responsible for their own learning. Part of the role is to inspire learning and provide the tools and structure needed for independent learning. A variety of teaching styles, mixing lecture, class discussion and group activities, will provide more opportunities to engage the most students. Technology should be used to help organize material and to accomplish more. It can be a great tool for improving learning and teaching but should not be used as an end unto itself. In the field of the humanities, for example, the World Wide Web is an extensive tool used to locate images and information about artists, performers, authors and museums.