About David

David is dedicated to helping people gain confidence, clarity, and genuine understanding in mathematics. He has worked in education for over 25 years—20 of those at the Verde Valley School in Sedona, Arizona—where he teaches high-school mathematics with a focus on curiosity, reasoning, and student voice.

In the fall of 2020, pandemic restrictions transformed his approach to teaching. Unable to work with students in a traditional classroom, David began recording YouTube lessons for every class he taught that year. This shift became a permanent part of his practice. Students now watch short videos for homework at their own pace, revisit explanations whenever they need to, and easily catch up when they miss class. Class time is reserved for what matters most: individualized support, collaborative problem-solving, puzzles and games, and the kind of student-centered activity that builds real confidence in mathematics.

David’s YouTube channel recently passed the 1,000-subscriber milestone, with more than 97,000 views and over 5,000 hours of watch time—a testament to the value students and families find in clear, accessible instruction.

Most recently, David stepped into the role of Mathematics Department Chair, where he is helping guide the department's adoption of Building Thinking Classrooms strategies—an approach that uses visual, collaborative, and non-routine problem tasks to get students actively reasoning rather than passively receiving information.

Although teaching is his primary calling, David has followed several career paths over the years, including work in IT, real estate, and construction. He brings the same care, passion, and practical problem-solving to each chapter of his professional life. He counts himself lucky—and genuinely grateful—to have found work that feels meaningful, creative, and aligned with who he is.

When not teaching or recording videos, David spends his time traveling and camping with his wife throughout the western states, exploring parks, mountains, deserts, and small towns. David is an avid endurance cyclist and competes in several long events every year. He particularly leans into 12 and 24 hour races and thrives on the challenge. David's longest ride is 200 miles!

Lesson examples are inspired by a variety of standard high school mathematics textbooks. Full citations appear in the video descriptions.