I was born in Duluth, Minnesota on January 24, 1963.  It was 22 degrees below zero.  Maybe this is    why I like to keep my classroom so cold.  I was an Air Force brat, and spent time in Sault Ste. Marie,  Michigan, Springdale, Pennsylvania, and Dover, Delaware.  But I've always been a Texan at heart, and just as soon as I could convince my parents we moved to the Lone Star State.

 I started my formal education in Abilene, Texas at Dyess Elementary Kindergarten in  1968. I attended Dyess Elementary until the Fifth Grade, and then transferred to Austin Elementary.  I then attended Madison Middle School.  I graduated from Cooper High School in 1981, and was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.

In 1982 I took a sabbatical from formal education.  No grant or scholarship paid for this vacation.  I did. I spent six months working in a big diesel truck shop, as a parts runner and then as shipping/receiving clerk.  I still learned though, about the working men in my community, and how they loved family, country, and faith.

I saved my money, and then spent the next six months touring northern and central Mexico on my motorcycle.  A 1972 model BMW R950 to be precise. As informal as this part of my education may have been, it has stayed with me all of my life.  I learned that there was a world out there--a world outside of Texas or the United States of America.  I learned that there were people with families  who owned less in their homes than I had packed on the back of my motorcycle.  And I learned that these were good people, who would share their homes and their food with me.  I learned that people and goodness were the same everywhere--regardless of country, or color, or creed.

 I matriculated at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1982.  I got off to a rough start (yes, Mr. Cable failed a couple of classes), but I grew up some, and maintained a 4.0 GPA for my upper division course work. I received my Bachelor of Arts with majors in English and American Studies in the spring of 1991, with a 3.7 GPA.  My summer school math students will be quick to figure out that I graduated under the nine year plan.  But I also graduated without owing one penny in student loans.

 And it was a wonderful nine years.  I worked full time, and went to school half to three-quarters time.  I worked for a florist for a few years, and had the opportunity to meet both former First Lady "Lady Bird" Johnson and former Democratic Governor of Texas Mark White.   Then I worked as a security guard for sorority houses and private dormitories.  As a security guard I learned much about teaching.  I found out that 99% of folks would follow directions, when given firmly and directly.  The remaining one percent makes teaching an exciting challenge every day.

 I entered the graduate program in American Studies at UT Austin, and continued to work as a security guard and free-lance writer.  I wrote a weekly column on the outdoors for The Williamson County Sun, and a monthly article on organic gardening for Texas Organic Gardening Magazine.  I completed 24 hours of graduate work with a 4.0 average, but due to a confluence of events found it necessary to return to Abilene in 1996 without completing my thesis.

 Upon my return to Abilene I worked first as Warranty Administrator, and then as Service Manager for the same big diesel truck shop that financed my trip to Mexico fifteen years earlier.  The work was challenging, but my heart wasn't in it.  I entered the Region 14 Alternative Teacher Certification Program in 1999, and received my certification in Special Education K-12.  I started teaching at the Anson ISD High School and Middle School campuses in the 1999-2000 school year as a special education teacher.

In the 2000-2001 school year I was offered the opportunity to teach Technology Applications at Anson Middle School.  I jumped at the chance.  Since then I have completed nine graduate hours in Technology Education through the University of Lamar at Beaumont online, and received my teacher certification in K-12 Technology Applications.  I have also tested successfully for teacher certification as a Middle School Generalist, which certifies me to teach English, Math, Science and Social Studies in grades four through eight.

I am now starting my sixth year teaching for Anson ISD, and still enjoy learning every day.  Some of my current areas of enthusiasm include collecting modern first editions, jazz and blues music, gourmet cooking and technology. 

 My name is Mike Cable and I am a lifelong learner.  My goal is to instill the joy of lifelong learning into all of my students.