Myron Nickerson

Raised in Long Beach and educated within LBUSD, I went on to study Broadcast Journalism at University of Southern California.

Immediately after graduation, I backpacked through much of Western Europe for nine weeks before being hired to run the Sports Information Office of Long Beach Community College.  After a couple years, I moved on to writing and editing for newspapers and magazines, while I searched for the right career for me.  I tried working in the rock 'n roll industry, albeit very behind the scenes, managing import/export documents for all the biggest bands' worldwide concert tours while I worked at Rock-It Cargo.  But aside from the amazing concert tickets, the job was unfulfilling and I moved on.  

I read, summarized and critiqued screenplays for a small studio to make ends meet and freelanced as a writer myself.  I was offered to join the fledgling game company called "Play With Your Mind," where we developed, produced and promoted the game/puzzle "Mindblocks."  We travelled around the country promoting the game at toy conventions and educational conferences (the six games and five puzzles are very math oriented).  It was an amazing couple of years, but we didn't make our millions and the "Play With Your Mind" company faded into black.

At the time, my oldest sister was (and is) an elementary school teacher (the now Ms. Hughes of Lowell fame) and my younger brother had taught in Kenya, Brooklyn, and the San Francisco Bay area (now he's a Superintendent of a high school district in that region).  My mother had taught high school choir early in her life, and my father was a MD that specialized in child psychiatry.  With the majority of the family working with young people and upon the recommendations that I'd make a good teacher from the many principals and teachers I had talked "Mindblocks" with at educational conferences and workshops, I decided to give teaching a try as a 26-year-old.  I was definitely longing for a career that felt worth my time and effort and teaching had great potential.

For my first six years in education, I taught English and Journalism at the private school Bishop Amat High School, a wonderful medium-sized school with a strong school spirit and great athletic and academic traditions.  I was in heaven, but I was also in La Puente and I missed Long Beach and the opportunity to serve my own community.  

After working a bit as a sub, I quickly earned a temporary position as a history teacher before securing a job as an English teacher at Lakewood High School.  I earned my teaching credential from a remarkable education program at Cal State Dominguez and was eventually contracted by LBUSD to teach at Cabrillo High School, where I'd done my "student" teaching.  It was a match made in heaven; the students needed my help, the administration was remarkable, and the English Department was full of wonderfully creative and effective teachers.

When Cabrillo was forced to downsize their ELA department, I was low on the totem pole and was transferred from that assignment to a brand new high school for the arts, Renaissance High School.  And as they say, the rest is history; no wait, the rest is English.  I've been here at my home away from home, RHSA, for about 16 years and, if all goes well, I'll be teaching here far into the future.  

I've primarily taught Honors English 5-6 (American Literature), but I've also spent time at Renaissance teaching ELA to Freshmen and Seniors (who've studied CSU's Expository Reading and Writing Course, Multi-Cultural Literature, and Film as Literature), as well as the electives Creative Writing, Journalism and Script Writing.

My educational philosophy has evolved over the last 30 years, but it has always amounted to something like this:  there is a whole lot more to a student's high school education than grades and test scores.  

As for the Arts, both sides of my family have been cantors and conductors for generations now, and I grew up in a household rich with music, theatre, musical theater, dance, opera, pop and sacred music.  I participated in theatre, chorus and musicals in high school and college and more recently sang with the Long Beach Chorale for 20 years.  When it comes to visual arts, I'm more of a stick figure kind of artist, but my family frequents museums and galleries locally as well as anywhere we visit.

I hope all who read this will end up joining us here at Renaissance, whether it is for an event, a performance, or an education.  Long live (and die and live again) the Phoenixes!  Or is it Phoenices?