About Me
Mr. Maas in a nutshell. I was born and raised in Bloomington, Minnesota(the home of the Mall of America-and yes I've worked there). I am the third of four brothers in a family that has a variety of European heritages mixed in its ancestry(a mutt, if you will). We don't follow any major traditions other than celebrating the Christian and American holidays. My entire family still resides in Minnesota. I still consider myself a Minnesotan, dontcha know? I am a Vikings, Gophers and Twins fan and used to be the biggest North Stars fan ever(until Norm Greed, I mean Green, ruthlessly tore them from us and moved them to Dallas, I'm not still bitter!). This year I will become a big Wild fan if they win it all.
Faith is important to me and my family. I hope it shows in my actions, if it doesn't please let me know. I enjoy playing guitar, playing soccer, joking around, and doing mental puzzles like crosswords and sudoku. I have run the A1A marathon(26.2 miles) twice and it went well, by went well, I mean I didn't die. I am all about the unsweetened iced tea, which I have been known to drink by the gallon. No homemade chocolate chip cookie has ever met me and lived to tell about it. My Ipod playlist is mostly hardrock and heavy metal with a sprinkle of everything else but country. My biggest brush with fame was when I ran into Ray Charles, literally, in a bathroom at the Cincinnati Airport. Nothing like almost knocking over a blind iconic legend. I've also met Miley Cyrus before she became such a Wiley Cyrus, big whoop!
I graduated from Bethel College(now Bethel University) with a B.A. in Elementary Education. After a year working in a group home for autistic kids, I moved to Los Angeles to start my teaching career in a diverse environment. I taught three years in the City of Champions(Inglewood, California) before moving to, of all places, Connecticut(My wife's home state). The things you do for love. I was a substitute teacher, jeweler, soccer coach and soccer camp administrator during my year in CT. I took a first grade teaching position in Minnesota the following year. It gave my wife and daughter the chance to get to know my family. After what seemed like 100 straight days of below zero temperatures, we decided to head south again. After an exciting job hunt across the nation, we felt that South Florida would be a great fit. We lived is SoFlo for over 16 years. And despite our love of wearing shorts all year long somehow we ended up back here in Nowheresville, Minnesota. It helps we live on some acreage on a lake.
My first five years teaching in Broward County were spent at Broward Estates Elementary in Fort Lauderdale. It still has a very special place in my heart. It was a hard decision to leave, but our family grew by one person at the end of my final year at Broward Estates and I felt I should work closer to home. It's hard to believe that one person is now entering their junior year. Mrs. Pontillo was gracious enough to bring me on board. I am so lucky to be at an excellent school so close to my home.
And of course, I saved the best for last. I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters. My wife is an avid reader, a wonderful mother, a budding shepherd and did I mention beautiful. My oldest daughter is an incredible human being. She just recently got married and is a very talented singer who doesn't let it go to her head. When I grow up I want to be just like her. My younger daughter is pretty much a little girl version of me(Which drives us all crazy and gives my mom great joy). She's a little artist and comedian, who is always up to something. She loves video games, and talking WAY TOO LOUD. She likes to do things her own way. They bring me so much joy and make my life so much richer than I ever thought it could be. Okay now it's your turn, tell me a little about your family.
Faith is important to me and my family. I hope it shows in my actions, if it doesn't please let me know. I enjoy playing guitar, playing soccer, joking around, and doing mental puzzles like crosswords and sudoku. I have run the A1A marathon(26.2 miles) twice and it went well, by went well, I mean I didn't die. I am all about the unsweetened iced tea, which I have been known to drink by the gallon. No homemade chocolate chip cookie has ever met me and lived to tell about it. My Ipod playlist is mostly hardrock and heavy metal with a sprinkle of everything else but country. My biggest brush with fame was when I ran into Ray Charles, literally, in a bathroom at the Cincinnati Airport. Nothing like almost knocking over a blind iconic legend. I've also met Miley Cyrus before she became such a Wiley Cyrus, big whoop!
I graduated from Bethel College(now Bethel University) with a B.A. in Elementary Education. After a year working in a group home for autistic kids, I moved to Los Angeles to start my teaching career in a diverse environment. I taught three years in the City of Champions(Inglewood, California) before moving to, of all places, Connecticut(My wife's home state). The things you do for love. I was a substitute teacher, jeweler, soccer coach and soccer camp administrator during my year in CT. I took a first grade teaching position in Minnesota the following year. It gave my wife and daughter the chance to get to know my family. After what seemed like 100 straight days of below zero temperatures, we decided to head south again. After an exciting job hunt across the nation, we felt that South Florida would be a great fit. We lived is SoFlo for over 16 years. And despite our love of wearing shorts all year long somehow we ended up back here in Nowheresville, Minnesota. It helps we live on some acreage on a lake.
My first five years teaching in Broward County were spent at Broward Estates Elementary in Fort Lauderdale. It still has a very special place in my heart. It was a hard decision to leave, but our family grew by one person at the end of my final year at Broward Estates and I felt I should work closer to home. It's hard to believe that one person is now entering their junior year. Mrs. Pontillo was gracious enough to bring me on board. I am so lucky to be at an excellent school so close to my home.
And of course, I saved the best for last. I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters. My wife is an avid reader, a wonderful mother, a budding shepherd and did I mention beautiful. My oldest daughter is an incredible human being. She just recently got married and is a very talented singer who doesn't let it go to her head. When I grow up I want to be just like her. My younger daughter is pretty much a little girl version of me(Which drives us all crazy and gives my mom great joy). She's a little artist and comedian, who is always up to something. She loves video games, and talking WAY TOO LOUD. She likes to do things her own way. They bring me so much joy and make my life so much richer than I ever thought it could be. Okay now it's your turn, tell me a little about your family.