John Mark Alexander:
CLASS OF 1965
Upper St. Clair High SchoolClass of 1965
Upper st. clair, PA
California State UniversityClass of 2001
Los angeles, CA
University of Pittsburgh - Arts & ScienceClass of 1970
Pittsburgh, PA
Swarthmore CollegeClass of 1969
Swarthmore, PA
John Mark's Story
Life
It seemed like a dream but this Christmas the kids actually prepared dinner while I sat by the fireplace.
I am still enjoying my job as a resource specialist math and sometimes English in a full inclusion program in an inner city high school- near downtown LA. Our scores have gone up 9 of the 11 previous years. It is very fulfilling and lets me use dual aspects of my nature -mathematical interests and helping people with their inner journey. I also get to tell jokes (to a captive audience) and get paid as well. My wife has been a great help in various roles, as well as having high level interpreting skills(Japanese). Two children are in college, another is a teacher, and the youngest is a sophomore in high school. We started our family late, and sometimes feel like very active grandparents.
I have mostly fond memories of high school days and classmates- Thinking back, these memories have helped me create better experiences for my own students. I still remember, 40 years later, the time our geometry teacher, Mr. Brown, talked about his life and experiences in WWII. He was a great teacher, f...Expand for more
riend, and model. Next to parents, teachers have the greatest influence on young people. I am beginning to get feedback from students that I have taught and helped, and it is very satisfying.
Before working as a teacher I worked for a media company in Century City doing script and book research for about ten years. That's where I met my wife and we met and worked with some of the rich and famous- Lawrence Olivier, Richard Roundtree, Charlton Heston, Robin Moore, Greg Bautzer, Jean Dixon, Audrey Hepburn, etc. When I mentioned these names to my kids in school they never heard of them. Fame is fleeting. I realized that the ordinary person is often more happy than the rich and famous. Before that I was a missionary for about ten years traveling to 50 states and 7 countries- the experiences were very enriching. Before that I worked as a land surveyor for a few years after coming to California from Pittsburgh.
Looking through the online 1963 HS year book was very rewarding and my kids were quite amazed. My kids at home and at school all said, "Your school had only white people!" Times are changing.
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