Peter Casanave:  

Life I am only alive because of two miracles. First, because I was born in a concentration camp during WWII in the Philippines. Second, because I was very sick and hospitalized as a first grader. The most "alive" and human thing that I can do is to learn, and that is what I have tried to do with my life. I went to a terrible grammar school, and a good high school. That showed me the contrast, and I became a life-long learner. I only wish that I had a better sense of curriculum. My one regret is that I became too good a worker too soon. Yes, you read that right. I had to work, and I tried to pay my own way so as to learn, but the working got in the way. I went to a wonderful/terrible college and stayed for two degrees. I not only payed my way through college, but also high school. My work ethic got in the way of an academic ethic, but I survived. I came to work in New York City to work in Joe Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival in the early 70's. I did important but unrecognized work for plays that made history. The job I held the longest was computer programming. I have taught various things all my life: theater, English, computers, martial arts and finally science. I am a NY state certified chemistry teacher -- the ironies of that astonish me. I teach in a NYC public high school. School I want to begin by thanking all my teachers. De La Salle was a great place when I went there. I made many friends, who I wish I would have kept better touch with. When I went to the class 25th reunion, I hadn't been involved with the school much in the interim. I wish I had known more about education when I was getting mine. I have people who were in my home rooms for years, and I barely remember them. I think this is because the schooling focus was from each student to the teacher and back. It was a lecture oriented place. I wish I would have had classes structured so that I would have met and known you guys who sat near me. Yes, guys. It was an all male place at the time. There was a school secretary who was a woman, and a librarian, I think. The most approachable women in the school were the handful of ladies who worked in the cafeteria. The dietitian, Ms. Demarest, walked around in nursing whites and was not very approachable in my memory. Of course, all the ladies who worked for her were black. They were all uniformly a little on the heavy side, exactly the sort of people who I would trust to feed me. It says something about my family to say that I could be counted on to have my best meal of the week during lunch in the cafeteria. My mom was too busy slapping together solutions for her ever growing brood to take cooking as seriously as the cafeteria ladies. I am the oldest of eight. I have to mention band. This was my second family. I became the drum major in my second year, and I felt it was my main respons...Expand for more