Category: Damien S. Riley on Teaching

Presenting in this blog post, dear reader, my amazing, notwithstanding vicarious, teaching  mentor Curt Visca, a treasured educator and beloved children’s cartoon show host I was heavily inspired by and remain indebted to in my K12 and now community college teaching career. Thank you.

Here’s a guy who mysteriously and unknowingly became vicariously a mentor to me in my 20’s 30’s and 40’s, through his “It’s Curtoon Time” kid TV show.

His local access cable TV broadcasting in South Orange County had such an allure for me prior to my drop/transplant into the High Desert in 2002 where I raised a family and thrived as a teacher.

Amazing Visionary!

He lives in San Clemente and is an accomplished teacher and administrator for the Capistrano Valley Unified School District. I looked up to him immensely. Even today at 55 I try to live and teach by his motto”Learning should be Simple & Silly.”

I wanted to make a show called “The Standard Train” in 2002 and for the longest time to inspire wonder in my Adelanto kids.

Curt was an early video creator and respected Public School Principal in Capistrano Valley Unified. He was an inspiration for me to press on with my outlier visions, never going halfway in my teaching and musical career.

Thank you Curt.

I get it now. I always had it but I can write about now at 55:

Teaching should be simple and silly

I love the idea of my 4th book Im currently writing being themed around the “Dynamite Lesson Plan” and Curt Vusca’s cartoony and brilliant philosophy of Keeping learning “simple and silly.”

From me to you commoners as well as teachers out there needing inspiration,

Yours,

DAme

PS Due to a catastrophic car accident, I lost my car and part time job car at Uber. I’ seeking donations to transition into the fall semester at GoFundMe.ic you can give any amount helps me in my endeavors like this blog and my music now in the queue for posting to Spotify and Apple Music.