Me and my beautiful daughter Kaia

It's funny, I can usually discuss just about anything, but I have an incredibly hard time talking about myself

I suppose this is why I signed up for Steemit under my preferred alias, @team-leibniz. It might even be why I still to this day identify more by my nickname "Twig" instead of my given first name. But, in this online world, you can't get half pregnant and you only get one chance to make a first impression. So allow myself to introduce...myself...

I am a math teacher and I love my job!

Many times when I introduce myself to strangers and say I am a math teacher, the reaction I usually get is a pregnant pause followed by an "Oh," or a "I was never good at math." It's not as sexy as say, a software engineer or data scientist. And, I will never make the type of money doing what I do compared to what I could have made in any other job with my BA in Mathematics.

What I do make though is a difference. And I cherish the opportunity to do so daily with the students in my classroom and in my school. I have taught every subject in mathematics from Algebra I to advanced Calculus, serve as the mathematics department chair, and have been at my current school in Bloomington, IN since 2007.

I entered my teaching career over a decade ago certian I knew everything I needed to know. Armed with my knowledge and my can-do attitude, I was confident the job would be relatively easy and I would change the world, one math student at a time. I look back at who that person was a long time ago and the only thing I am certian of now is how uncertain I am of just about everything. Teaching will do that for you.

I have had many challenges in the classroom. Everything from the innocent behaviors that teenagers often exhibit to the more serious behaviors that are the result of very complex life challenges. I have had many sleepless nights thinking about my day and how I can be better the next. Honestly early on, I thought this meant teaching wasn't for me. I now know that is a leading indicator an emotion you feel when you are doing something you love.

I am a dedicated husband and father, and I love my family!

This is me and my lovely wife Moranda (@randa). On paper, we probably don't make sense, I am a little nerotic, have some obsessions and compulsions, and can tend to be scatterbrained. We even make a joke around here about "twig time," meaning the time I estimate it takes to do something is usually multiplied by three. She is much more personable, is extremly goal oriented, and is the type of person you would love to have as your lifelong friend. Thankfully, we compliment each other very well.

She still doesn't respond to anyone calling me Adam instead of Twig, and she is the love of my life.

We are both teachers, which is wonderful for our decompression time at the end of each day. We met in college waiting tables at the now defunct Mexican restaurant, Chi-Chi's. She was my server trainer, and I still make the joke to this day that I am still in training. She rolls her eyes at that one every time.

We love Indiana University and Bloomington, IN!

This is us after an IU Baseball game last year with our kiddos. After pretending like we would like to live somewhere else after college, we enthuiasticlly came back to Bloomington a decade ago. It was the best decision of our lives. We love everything about our Hoosiers, and have so much to love about our community!

I am a soon to be fantasy sports blogger

My wife and I talk all the time about how life's circumstances appear random yet have some strange order to them. For the past year or so, I had been kicking around the idea with a buddy of mine on starting a blog to share our unique perspectives on fantasy sports. I am more data driven and he likes to work more from the endless hours of sports media he consumes. I would serve as the geek, him, the gut. Together, we will be GeekVGut.

I have been spending the luxury of my summer break from teaching to pursue this blog and perfect my algorithm. I started out with no idea of how to really get any of this started and a little mortified about putting myself out there as a writer/blogger. I am still not quite ready to fully launch the site, but I have learned so much already. Everything from how to secure a domain to which blogging platforms to use.

About a week back, I came across Steemit while scanning a reddit forum and thought I would check it out. I have since had the chance to get my voice out there a little more and have really learned a lot about the type of writing it takes to be a successful blogger. I have said this in other posts and comments, but without Steemit, I never would have done this otherwise. Having a blogging platform intermixed with an attention economy forces you to really be specific and professional in your writing. I am eternally grateful for my experiences here so far.

I am quite possibly the happiest I have ever been at any point of my life and brimming with excitement about the potential my future holds!

Thank you for sharing in my journey with me Steemit!

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