Many years ago I chose the profession of Education at the urging of my now deceased uncle. Throughout my childhood, I witnessed his influence on hundreds of young minds. After watching him for many years, I felt certain that teaching and coaching was intended as my future also. I started my career teaching in elementary schools in Indiana and Florida where I taught both grades four and five. I then had the great opportunity to come to Tampa Prep to continue my teaching in Middle School Mathematics.

Since 2002, I have been able to call Room 1206 at Tampa Preparatory School my second home. Working next to some of the best educators and administrators in the business makes it a joy to come to work each day. Never a day goes by when a student does not put a smile on my face either by their joy in understanding a concept or just by the simple conversation of how his/her day is going. The Tampa Prep community has allowed me the opportunity to contribute to the lives of young students in what I consider a quaternary approach.

In my view, element 1 is the most obvious: education. Element 2: personal growth and development. Element 3: development of the use of technology in my classroom, and finally Element 4: guidance toward self-actualization. It is the fourth element that ranks amongst my most valuable contributions. As students grow in the Tampa Prep classroom, it is my aspiration to steer each student toward an expression of creativity, pursuit of knowledge and a desire to give to society.

• Mr. Hendrix is the Varsity Baseball Head Coach
• Mr. Hendrix is the Middle School Boys Basketball Head Coach- Black Team