I’ve got a PhD in pirates, pedagogy, and children’s literature—basically, the trifecta of “That’s flipping cool! But wait. What do you do with it?” Answer: I use it to blow ‘Normal’ out of the water.

The first schools for teachers were called “normal colleges.” Fitting, then, that I earned my doctorate at Illinois State University… in Normal, Illinois. The irony isn’t lost on me. But here’s the truth: Normal teaching isn’t good enough.

For over 30 years, I’ve taught ages 3 to 83 across K-12, higher ed, corporate training, non-profit, and community programs. I’ve been a curriculum designer, adjunct, teacher, career counselor, instructional designer, test scorer (don’t ask), academic accreditor, and more. Through it all, one thing became clear—education needs a mutiny.

Now known as Dr. Pyrate, I proudly wield my neurodistinct perspective to challenge outdated norms and build high-impact, research-backed learning experiences. If you're ready to plunder the best strategies, break free from traditional education, and design bold, learner-driven experiences anywhere, let’s defy normal and chart a new course.

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