My Autobiography as a Writer...

How have I learned to write? Well, I literally began to learn how to write back in early primary school, while I was also learning to read and do mathmatics. This was a difficult time for me, and my early learning experiences were a struggle. Around the same time when I was around 7 yrs old, I was diagnosed w/ learning disabilities and ADHD. I began taking Ritalin and it was during this time that I indeed learned reading, WRITING and math.

By the time I started junior high, I no longer had to take medication, and this is actually when I remember really beginning to blossom as a writer, especially in Creative Writing. I was a drummer for the school band, and was a guitarist, singer and writer for my own rock band with my buddies! Being inspired by lyricists like John Lennon, Glimour/ Waters from Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and others, I began to write my own poems and lyrics for my band's burgeoning original songs!

By high school I had progressed into a very profiencient writer. This is when I took my first Journalism class and meet one of my biggest writing mentors, Roger Mahn! He was my Journalism teacher, and overseer of the Trojan Tribune, our school newspaper. After writing several news articles I was given my own op/ed (editorial) column! This really boosted my confidence in not only my writing, but in myself self-esteem! After all, here I was once a kid w/ learning disabilities and little hope for the future, and now I had my own editorial column!

I would write about any and every subject that I felt touched teenagers specifically ie selective service, social cliques, the importance of friends etc. I had the column all 3 yrs in high school! Many other students, some of whom I didn't even know, would regularly approach me and express their connection to my writing, even thanking me sometimes! This experience inspired me to go to college to try and write professionally.

I applied and was accepted to the U of Minn, College of Liberal Arts, School of English. Over the years at the U I wrote copious amounts of academic writings incl. research papers, essays, reflections, journals and more! I also continued to play with various bands that developed around the U of M, and continued to write lyrics for many new songs. Over these yrs I progressed very much in almost all forms of writing, and have continued since then to write creatively.

Since I have started back to school at Metro State to get my english teaching license, I have once again written copious amounts of writing ie research papers, essays, reflections, unit plans, lesson plans, pedogogical philosophies, classroom management strategies, papers on hisroical foundations of education and more! I believe over these last 2 yrs, my level of writing has increased even more. I look forward to writing my unit and lesson plans for Teaching Writing, and I look forward to teaching writing in the future!