I am a high-school teacher in my early thirties. I teach history and coach basketball on America's largest Indian Reservation. My childhood fascination with war emerged into a more academic study of history by the time I was 12 or so. I was a D student in high school (with the exception of social studies and debate) but a perfect ACT score ensured me a slot in my state's university system. In high school I smelled like piss and dressed in rags because I was a typical welfare brat whose mom spent the check on drugs. I was unpopular, except that me sheer size (6'8") meant that I was a useful talent on the basketball court. My black market connections allowed me to become popular by throwing parties. In college I continued to throw parties, and I made extra money by writing papers for rich kids. I planned on going to law school, but my grades suffered because of my excessive social life. Ultimately, the only classes that could get me up in the morning were history classes. I graduated with a BA in 2001. My postgraduate career included stints in the military, Law enforcement, and graduate school.

Today I teach history in one of the worst high schools in America. We are burdened with a 66% dropout rate and high levels of pregnancy, suicide, substance abuse (huffing) and gang violence. The cultural and geographic isolation (2 hours drive to any town) means that most teachers and administrators only last a year at this school (80% staff turnover). This is my third year. The region is desperately poor and is primarily composed of high, cold desert. Only 2% of my students can be expected to graduate from college. Hopefully I can teach my students enough about the world in general that they will at least be able to make informed decisions about our country's future. Education saved me from a life of poverty, and I hope that it can do the same for some of my own students.

I have a wife and an adorable daughter who does not smell like piss. I also coach one Arizona's top rated high school basketball teams, and if I can keep all of my players eligible, we might become the first public school in more than a decade to win a championship (typically only private schools can win this). Since I live in an isolated environment, I have plenty of free time to play elaborate video games, and EB is definitely one of my favorites. I still study history, and even with a degree in the topic I have learned a lot from EB (about Baktria/Parthia). I guess that I am the typical EB player...