In the late 80s I became a teacher. My first four years I substituted in Providence. I then became a Social Studies teacher at The Alternate Learning Project in 1990. I would stay at this job for a decade. Originally my plan to become a teacher came about when thinking about what I really wanted to do. There were two things on my mind. I wanted to have time to do my photography and I wanted to spend my summers on Block Island. Little did I know that there would be a million other reasons for me to be in education. One of them was the incredible relationships with students. Seeing them mature and get smarter was rewarding.

ALP, as it was known, was the perfect place to see kids grow into adulthood. And it was amazing to see. We worked with the same group of kids year after year. We knew them very well. We talked beyond the lessons of the day. Helped them navigate incredible life challenges. I did not know how much I would love this part of the job.

While here I would occasionally bring my camera to work and do portraits of the students. I would give them prints to take home. At times, I would capture an image that showed their inner selves. Sometimes there were goofy failures. This photograph is one of my favorite portraits I ever made. I love the intensity in her eyes. Her serious demeanor jumps out. This photograph captures what she was like. That is the magic behind good portraits. Getting to a person’s essence. I enjoy photographing people. I should do it more.