Commando Cable's Teaching Philosophy, Auto-Biography and CV

My name is Mike Cable and I'm a lifelong learner

I want my students to be lifelong learners as well.

I was born in Duluth, Minnesota on January 24, 1963. It was 22 degrees below zero. Maybe this is why I like to keep my classroom so cold. I was an Air Force brat, and spent time in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Springdale, Pennsylvania, and Dover, Delaware. But I've always been a Texan at heart, and just as soon as I could convince my parents we moved to the Lone Star State.

I started my formal education in Abilene, Texas at Dyess Elementary Kindergarten in 1968. I attended Dyess Elementary until the Fifth Grade, and then transferred to Austin Elementary. I then attended Madison Middle School. I graduated from Cooper High School in 1981, and was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.

After high school graduation I took a sabbatical from formal education. No grant or scholarship paid for this vacation. I did. I spent six months working in a big diesel truck shop, as a parts runner and then as shipping/receiving clerk. I still learned though, about the working men in my community, and how they loved family, country, and faith.

I saved my money, and then spent the next few months with a friend (who has also become a teacher) touring northern and central Mexico on my motorcycle. A 1972 model BMW R90 to be precise. As informal as this part of my education may have been, it has stayed with me all of my life. I learned that there was a world out there--a world outside of Texas or the United States of America. I learned that there were people with families who owned less in their homes than I had packed on the back of my motorcycle. And I learned that these were good people, who would share their homes and their food with me. I learned that people and goodness were the same everywhere--regardless of country, or color, or creed.

I matriculated at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1983. I got off to a rough start (yes, Mr. Cable failed a couple of classes), but I grew up some, and maintained a 4.0 GPA for my upper division course work. I received my Bachelor of Arts with majors in English and American Studies in the spring of 1991, with a 3.7 GPA. My former summer school math students will be quick to figure out that I graduated under the eight year plan. But I also graduated without owing one penny in student loans.

And it was a wonderful nine years. I worked full time, and went to school half to three-quarters time. I worked for a florist for a few years, and had the opportunity to meet both former First Lady "Lady Bird" Johnson and former Democratic Governor of Texas Mark White. Then I worked as a security guard for sorority houses and private dormitories. As a security guard I learned much about teaching. I found out that 99% of folks would follow directions, when given firmly and directly. The remaining one percent makes teaching an exciting challenge every day.

I entered the graduate program in American Studies at UT Austin, and continued to work as a security guard and free-lance writer. I took advantage of all Austin and the Hill Country had to offer--live music, performing at poetry readings, canoeing, hunting and fishing--all the things that keep Austin and the surrounding area weird. I wrote a weekly column on the outdoors for The Williamson County Sun, and a monthly article on organic gardening for Texas Organic Gardening Magazine. I completed 24 hours of graduate work with a 4.0 average, but due to a confluence of events found it necessary to return to Abilene in 1996 without completing my thesis.

Upon my return to Abilene I worked first as Warranty Administrator, and then as Service Manager for the same big diesel truck shop that financed my trip to Mexico fifteen years earlier. The work was challenging, but my heart wasn't in it. I entered the Region 14 Alternative Teacher Certification Program in 1999, and received my certification in Special Education K-12. I started teaching at the Anson ISD High School and Middle School campuses in the 1999-2000 school year as a special education teacher.

In the 2000-2001 school year I was offered the opportunity to teach Technology Applications at Anson Middle School. I jumped at the chance. I completed nine graduate hours in Technology Education through the University of Lamar at Beaumont online, and received my teacher certification in K-12 Technology Applications. I also became an Intel Teach to the Future Master Teacher, and then a Teach to the Future Trainer. Over the course of two summers I trained 40 Anson ISD teachers to be Intel Teach to the Future Teachers.

I then tested successfully for teacher certification as a Middle School Generalist, which certifies me to teach English, Math, Science and Social Studies in grades four through eight. In the 2007-2008 school year I started teaching Sixth Grade Science/Social Studies.

My professional development focus switched from technology to science. I immediately became involved as a Science Teacher Mentor with the Regional Collaborative for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education. During the past three years I've attended a week long teacher camp at the 4H State Headquarters at Lake Brownwood, the TMRA Big Brown Coal Camp, three weeks of astronomy training with Dr. Pat Miller of HSU, that included a field trip to the Macdonald Observatory, and numerous other shorter professional development opportunities.

I became involved with Cohort C of the TXESS Revolution recently. Two years ago I became an Instructional Team Member with my Regional Collaborative. I've had the honor and the joy of developing and presenting workshops with Kayla Brooks of Trent ISD--the best co-facilitator ever.

I am now starting my 12th year teaching for Anson ISD, and still enjoy learning every day. Some of my current areas of enthusiasm include collecting modern first editions, jazz and blues music, gourmet cooking, keeping insects, arachnids and lizards, and gardening.

I'm married to Camille, and have four wonderful step-children, and four beautiful granddaughers. My niece Jenny drives to school with me every day, and will be in my sixth grade classroom this year.

My name is Mike Cable and I am a lifelong learner. My goal is to instill the joy of lifelong learning into all of my students. If they experience even a small share of the sense of awe and wonder that I do every day while learning with them, I will have succeeded.