School: MAST Academy

School District: Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Subject: AP Macroeconomics and Honors Economics with Financial Literacy

Grade Level: 12

Number of Years Teaching: 11

When did you know you wanted to be a teacher? I always liked the idea of teaching, but did not consider it fully until a few years in the workforce. I didn't derive the satifcation I expected from other fields. My wife's mother and sister had years of experience teaching, and asked them for advice. They got me started and I'm never stopping!

If you weren’t teaching what would you do?  I majored in economics and broadcast journalism at the University of Miami, so if one of my favorite teams offered me a position as a play-by-play announcer, I may not be able to say no.

What’s your favorite topic to teach? I love teaching about credit. It is so misunderstood. Most people either fear it too much or too little, and so helping students develop a healthy respect for loans is very important to me.

What’s the hardest topic to teach? Monetary Policy. It's the hardest because it is the one students feel least connected to. That's why making it personal (connecting the Federal Funds Rate with their potential student loans) is essential.

Why do you think Economics and Personal Finance are important to learn? I believe most subject we teach are about growth and improvement, which is fantastic. However, I feel that economics and personal finance is as much about self-protection as it is improvement. Uninformed students are easy targets for scams. Their primary method of communication, social media, is rife with scammers. Sending them into the world without a basic understanding of money management is a deriliction of our duty to care for our students. Once fortified with the essentials, giving them the tools to then grow and improve their financial position is simply a sweet cherry on top.

How has the FCEE impacted your teaching? The Florida Council on Economic Education, through the Miami Dade College Center for Economic Education, has been incredibly impactful in my teaching. No organization consistently provides more engaging and useful professional developments than the CEEs. They completely revolutionized how I teach Economics and Personal Finance and were very helpful during my transition to AP Macroeconomics.

What’s your favorite FCEE resource or program? The bellringer on the maple syrup cartel is a blast to teach. It helps students understand behaviors of market actors and how individual and group choices can interfere with the normal operation of a free market.

What advice would you give to a first-year economics or personal finance teacher? Don't do it alone! Don't assume that everyone knows everything except for you. Teachers often fall into the "imposter syndrome" trap. Groups like the FCEE exist for everyone, novice and veteran. Any good teacher should be approaching their practice as though they are brand new, because there are always ways to get better for our students.

What do you like to do for fun outside of school? I love spending time with my family (I have a beautiful wife and a 3-year-old son who is the best thing in the universe). I like to read about history. I also produce a podcast on Miami history, called This Day in Miami History.

What’s one thing your students may not know about you? The only time I really ever get angry is when I'm playing video games. I love to play EA FC 24 (formerly the FIFA franchise) with my friends.