http://manila.ransomeverglades.org/Lewis/ en-us Thu, 07 Aug 2003 05:00:00 GMT Thu, 07 Aug 2003 19:48:35 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss UserLand Frontier v9.1b1 rssUpdates jlewis@ransomeverglades.org (John Lewis) jlewis@ransomeverglades.org (John Lewis) Born and raised in Miami,Mr. Lewis started a public high school teaching career at Miami Southridge High School in 1978. After experiencing the usual frustrations of large classes Mr. Lewis took a job at Ransom Everglades Middle School in 1980. Coaching all sports, driving all buses, and teaching four sections of accelerated Algebra I and Algebra II to seventh and eigth graders, he was appointed math department coordinator and quickly found joy and satisfaction at the middle school level. Looking for a new challenge and change of scenery Mr. Lewis accepted a job at The Trinity School in Manhattan in 1984. At Trinity he served as 8th grade formmaster, assistant summer school director and taught Pre-Algebra and Algebra I to middle schoolers. Following his dream of traveling around the world before age 35, Mr. Lewis took a year-long self-imposed sabbitical and, with his best friend Caroline Alexander, set out on a 9 month backpacking adventure. Their travels took the through Europe, India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti. His 35th birthday was spent with a party of five Sherpas in a small village near Annapurna Base Camp in the Himilayas. Christmas was celebrated in a beach bungalow on the island of Bali. In the midst of a 5,000 mile hitchhiking journey through Australia, Mr. Lewis proposed to Ms. Alexander on a beach in Tasmania. The couple returned to New York and taught one year at The Fieldston Ethical Culture before moving back to Miami to begin a family in the fall of 1989. Returning to Ransom Everglades Mr. Lewis taught math for two more years before assuming the role of Middle School Director in 1992. Now, eleven years later, Mr. Lewis continues to teach one section of Algebra I to accelerated seventh graders. This year his oldest daughter has joined the seventh grade class at RE. The classroom continues to be a great source of joy for Mr. Lewis.