My name is Ralph Skinner. I teach 8th grade English Language Arts at Highland. This is my 8th year teaching and all of them have been at Highland. I taught 6th grade for four years before moving to 8th grade. I have a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in English from New Mexico State University and will receive my master’s degree in Education Administration from Eastern New Mexico University at the end of this school year. I am the department head for English at Highland. I am the head coach for 7th grade football and have been coaching now for four years. I am also the coordinator for the 21st CCLC after school program at Highland. I am passionate about teaching, as most who stick in this profession are, and I believe that every student can succeed if they are willing to put in the effort. I also believe our job as teachers is not just to educate students in our subject but to also educate them on how to become production members of society and good people in general.