Reading Partners
One-on-one tutoring program that pairs volunteers with kids reading below grade level.
Reading at grade level by 3rd grade is one of the most predictive variables in a kid's life. This is the most direct lever I know.
VolunteerWhat I stand for
I'm the son of two ICU nurses. I went to seminary, didn't become a pastor, and ended up teaching middle school English instead — which has turned out to be a different kind of pulpit.
The causes I care about all sit at the intersection of words and dignity: kids who deserve to be read to, communities that deserve to be heard, teachers who deserve more than a Sunday-night dread.
What I stand for
LiteracyServiceTeacher mental healthHouston
My faith and my classroom point me at the same thing: the kids in front of me, and the long, ordinary work of helping them read the world.
Organizations I support
Compassion International
Child sponsorship and community development through local churches in 25+ countries.
I've sponsored the same kid since he was 7. He's 16 now, writes me letters about soccer, and I'm not going to pretend it doesn't change how I read the gospel.
DonateThe Teacher Project
Independent journalism and storytelling that takes teachers seriously as workers, thinkers, and humans.
Most education writing is about teachers. This is education writing for teachers. It's a small but real act of care.
Learn moreWhere I show up
- Sunday school co-teacherSt. Mark's, HeightsMiddle-schoolers, every other week.