1 David Krumholz Professor Olga Rubio EDSE 435 September 5, 2013 AUTOBIOGRAPHY A brief description of my life, family background,

my values, my work ethic, my material well-being, and my cultural values will help to show my capability of being an educator. In reflecting on my life there will be an attempt to discern that through a thorough work experience the foundation for my nature will appear. I have had the responsibility of raising two children and have stayed married for thirty-five years. My next step is to enter the world of teaching. I was born a baby boomer in Los Angeles where many families decided to dwell and raise a family. I have lived in the greater Los Angeles area all my life and have seen the diversity and changes. I was born in the Elysian park area of Los Angeles where, at the time, many Western European immigrants resided. My parents were survivors of the Holocaust and it behooved them to restart their lives in Los Angeles. In fact, they were the first survivors of the Holocaust to immigrate to Los Angeles. My grandmother who had raised me in my early years was also a survivor of the atrocities of World War II. She had three brothers who had immigrated to Los Angeles in the early nineteen-twenties and they assimilated to the American way of life. When my parents arrived in the United States they did not speak any English. However, they strived to restart their lives and worked double shifts to earn extra money. I believe my grandmother was the guiding force to keep sanity and cultural norms in my family and symbolized a mother image to many other survivors who came to Los Angeles. From my grandmothers heart of gold there still remains an ingrained image of my values about the world. She would tirelessly prepare food for the family, nurture my inquisitive nature, and teach me that life was not about being selfish, but an endless energy of giving to others who had less or were unable forget the past. For many if not all survivors the past memories of the war would plague them until their death. My grandmother would in her own way forge a meaning to life for the survivors and

2 also our family. Her goal was to establish a good way of life and that was apparent through her actions. Since her English was not adequate she utilized little wordage to convey her needs and thoughts. She only used her vigilant self-determination to be a good mother and grandmother. In other words, she led by example. My father worked as a short order chef and my mother worked on an assembly line. In 1951, my father decided to change professions and he opened up a small retail handbag and luggage shop in Santa Monica. In order to learn the trade he apprenticed with another survivor who had opened a small shop of his own. They happened to be school chums in Poland and were both Schindler Jews. My father undoubtedly instilled a work ethic in my consciousness and at a young age I dreamed of working with him in the luggage business. Guided by his determination he provided a roof over our heads and food on the table. Though material possessions such as a car were a necessity in the Los Angeles area, he never flaunted expensive possession only a desire to maintain a clean sense of material wellbeing. This part of him remains with me. In other words, there are material things needed in todays world, but a clear sense that all these material things are not necessary. As for religio us beliefs, I am a Jew. That is to say that I do not go to synagogue, do not follow any religious holidays, do not abide by any traditional rhetoric, and for all purposes am not religious. I am an individual who sees the world as one where one must learn to live and be fair with others. One could say since I was raised Jewish I felt confined as an individual to remain religious. Besides, hearing the ongoing stories of the Holocaust was not a healthy way to move forward in daily life. My belief to remain non-religious enabled me to see people from a different perspective. I believe religion does not guide one to be a better person, but a better person is one who guides people to be better. My beliefs and values about my community, my national origin, and my perceptions of others have been learned throughout my life. For thirty years I worked in the retail luggage business and participated in community affairs and concerns. For the last twenty years I have coached in the community and have been fortunate to see many of the players grow up and become good citizens. For example, the first day of school a student came up to me and said, I know you. When we finally introduced ourselves I realized that I had coached him. He now happens to be in the credential program here at Long Beach. I believe there is a need to always

3 stay active in todays youth. A coach as well as a teacher instills family values, well -being, and a sense of belonging to the community. If I am as motivated as my grandmother was to instill a sense of good livelihood in younger individuals, then my day is complete. I am not a child anymore; in fact, I am old enough to be a father to most teachers. Then, I have to believe, like my grandmother, that I will always be able to make a difference in peoples lives. My national origin being an American encompasses a reality that not all of us are created equal. There are some born with illness, there are some born into poverty, there are some born with only one parent, there are some not born in this country, and there are minorities that are still treated unfairly. Through my years of coaching and through my years of working in business I have had the chance to meet a vast variety of young people and adults who have come from different backgrounds and they have had to deal with their own misfortune or difficulties in life. My perception of them as people remains transparent, because to a greater extent I will treat them in a fair and equal manner. These people through my life have taught me some simple beliefs and values. Some have invited me into their homes, some have befriended me, and most of them have the same desire as me, to have a good life. It is this community of people that I belong to and will hope to always belong to and learn from them while they learn from me. What I have gathered to learn by being exposed to a diversity of people is that to a larger extent, most people are good, but unfortunately there are a few out there that will cause havoc for the rest of us. Personally, being of Polish Jewish decent, I will mention a few common sayings I remember my mother saying. For example, my mother would constantly repeat in Polish, Boy, it is so incredible about boys. In other words, boys are inpatient, constantly active, consistently stubborn, tend not to listen, and will spontaneously create a chaotic atmosphere with little regard to others around them. The Americanized saying is Boys will be boys. Another repeated comment said by mother is her consistency to say, Oh my God. For instance, when she was driving and someone cut her off, she would then say these words. Or let us say I came home with a bruised knee from playing outside; I would hear the phrase. We all grow up with idioms from our childhood and they remain part of us.

4 To some degree we are all opinionated about our own way of life and have little experience about the cultural backgrounds of those outside our community and those from other nations. Through the years I have been exposed to individuals from all socio-economic classes and have formed a better understanding about them. Most importantly, some of my views have altered over time. I have had the pleasure to fortunately meet or unfortunately meet a diverse segment of the populace. Each class in society has their pluses and minuses. There are those in the upper echelon who are ruthless and bigoted and there are those in each class that have an element of difficulty with alcohol consumption and drug abuse. I have significantly learned over the years that class is not a measure of success. Success is an individual knowing they have tried their best and are satisfied with the results. A winner in any society is a person who has no enemies and treats people as they would want people to treat them. There are good and terrible people in each class of society and all walks of life and to forge a stereotypical viewpoint is unfair. Lets gather to say the playing field is unequal and there is a tendency of those of higher income to have an advantage in getting a better education and a better chance of job selection. Having parents who have a college education can be an insurmountable advantage to a child getting ready for todays competitive world. Moreover, those who a re from other national origins and do not master English are at a distinct disadvantage for upward mobility. As I reflect on the vast diversity of individuals in society, the views that I have about others who are different from myself are not hard to formulate. One might say that I have been lucky to have a chance to succeed. I was raised by loving parents, followed my dream as a young child and followed my father in business, and I was able to raise a family. One might say I have lived the American dream. I have worked with those who have had special needs, been friends with gays and lesbians, and worked and coached those of different age groups, religious convictions and those who were English learners and were also immigrants. For example, when there was a need to hire a worker in my business, I often went to the local adult school and would find someone willing to work. Over the years there were Swedes, Germans, Mexicans, Koreans, Slovenians, Iranians, and Guatemalans to name just a few. I found both male and females and they had one thing in common they needed a job. They were friendly people who

5 wanted to work and enjoyed working in the business. For instance, the Swedish guy who worked for me eventually moved back to Sweden. Years later he came to visit Los Angeles with his son and dropped in to see me. I had a qualified African American lady able to manage a store. When the position opened for the Torrance location she was appointed the position. At that time, the Torrance area was somewhat bigoted against people of color. She became one of the best managers I ever had. When I was in business and when I have coached I have always been fair to the players and to my staff. I never fathomed anyone being less of an individual than I am. This holds true for all the years I ran the business and all the years of coaching. I have a quick wit and am reminded of my own saying and comments from time to time. While coaching a game, players or parents will often offer me advice. My comments are often not prepared, but the one I like most and respond with quite often is, Dont confuse me with the facts. As a coach my job is to maintain calmness and a sense of leadership and trust. Moreover, I have the experience of leading people. It is through my experience in coaching that I have a desire to pursue a second career in teaching. I find myself able to relate to children of all ages, and am more than willing to keep on learning and help them learn and pursue their dreams.