From the age of 7 until I was 24, I was in the variety arts. I performed all over the place and had some major success here and there. After earning a degree in theater, I moved to Vegas for a year to further pursue my career in the performing arts. I got to Vegas about a month and change before 911, which destroyed tourism, and made that year really hard. I continued to work here and there, and my apartment was so affordable at that time, I actually finished the year with some extra money saved.
I moved back home to southern California and continued performing for a while. Ultimately, I had a friend who was a teacher, and in a conversation one night, I realized I had always taught in some form or another. I had taught children's theater during college, I taught martial arts for a year during college, and I had even taken a few courses in educational theater at UCLA where I wrote curriculum for the first time.
I did a week at a club in Hollywood, and shortly after that, I started teacher credentialing classes. I don't consider myself "done" when it comes to my passion for performing arts. I do Zoom stand-up comedy all of the time, and I have a concept I actually like for an offering in the variety arts. I didn't feel like I "gave up on my dream", I just had another one: I wanted to become the best teacher I could. That became my focus.
One day, in one of my first classes, the professor told us that we could get a master's degree in educational technology, and that they even had a doctoral program in the same subject. I ended up getting very lucky, and getting to teach full-time on something called an intern credential (I don't know if they exist anymore; it was a LONG time ago). While I was on the lowest tier of the salary schedule, I was a full-time teacher while I was working on my credential in the evenings. I was living at home and saving my salary.
My first quarter, I taught five classes, and then attended a four-hour credentialing class Monday through Thursday evening. It was very hard work, but I was drawing a salary, getting a year of service credit, and saving money. Each quarter, the amount of classes I had to attend in the evenings diminished, and at the end of the school year, I earned my preliminary credential, and bought a condo (with some help from my family), but also with a considerable amount of money I earned from performing and from that first year of teaching.
I went right into work on my master's, attending a few classes in the evening. Aside from my 4 undergraduate years, during which I was freelancing as a performer, I was working full-time while going to graduate classes in the evening. That's 1 year for my preliminary credential, 2 for my master's, 3.5 for my doctorate, and 2 for my admin credential.
All of that was going on while I was pursuing my martial arts dreams after buying a condo before my second year of teaching. That was my focus; that was my dream.
I was watching a Chris Rock stand-up special, and he was doing a bit about how high schools should be honest with incoming freshman. In the bit, he askes, "Did you REALLY want to be a vice principal?"
A few years into teaching, I REALLY wanted to become a vice/assistant principal! I learned what I wanted and didn't want in a school leader. It took me about four years after earning my doctorate, but I eventually served as a Dean of Students and then was promoted to Assistant Principal at a high school in eastern Los Angeles County. That REALLY was my dream. My first your of admin was awesome. My second year was split awesome and very challenging, By my third year, it was obvious that my serving as a high school administrator was not the right move for my family at the time.
I was looking to go back into the classroom, and I received an offer from a charter school in Brooklyn. It was the chance for another adventure. That brings me to the last 2.5 years in NYC. I don't consider ANY of my journey a waste. I have some great memories from my years in the performing arts, and my time as a performer just makes my K12 teaching/presenting and martial arts instruction more dynamic. I don't regret opening a martial arts Academy in NYC that got shut down by the pandemic. I don't regret moving to NYC; we love and miss our CA family and friends, but this is such an amazing place to live. I don't regret the teaching job I took during this dumpster fire of a school year.
I don't regret any of it, and the journey just keeps on keeping on. It has brought me to this version of myself, and I have created these materials for you.
Martial Arts Wisdom For K12 Educators is a concept about which I am super passionate. I will continue to send you complimentary resources. I will not share your information with anyone. We can make it through this crazy school year together with our health and sanity!
Sincerely,
Bryan
Bryan Stoops, Ed.D.
