I was born in Long Beach, California, the middle of three boys. When I had finished first grade my family moved to Crestline where I graduated from high school. After college, I attended a Catholic Seminary in Epworth, Iowa and Los Angeles. I then spent a year in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and began grad school in Chicago, Illinois. Upon deciding to seek another path, I went to work for Braille Institute for Youth in Los Angeles and then the Regional Centers of California where I helped individuals with development disabilities. Meanwhile, I got married to Mrs. Castillo, a 6th grade teacher here at Mission Crest. Together we had two children. I entered teaching in 1990 and have been doing so ever since. In 1993 I earned a masters degree in Educational Leadership. My philosophy of teaching is that with guidance children can create their own knowledge. There are basic skills kids need to know to be ready to lead in the future, and beyond that kids needs to figure out how to construct and use knowledge to solve problems they face now and in the future.