MrStephenOnline

Stephen Torres-Esquer, otherwise known as Mr. Stephen (pronounced Steh-Fin), is a Special Educator, Public Speaker, Curriculum Developer, Blogger and Founder of "The Direction: Ability Advocates", an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for youth with developmental disabilities to be SEEN, HEARD and RESPECTED as valuable members of their communities through presentations and volunteer experience. Mr. Stephen has decided to build his brand with a show business mindset, taking advantage of the societal obsession with Hollywood and Entertainment in order to create visibility, acceptance and change for people with differences.

I teach grades 9-12, and I have a strong focus on functional academics as well as community based learning. I believe my students should be prepared for a higher level of independence and provided access to the communities that that live in. My curriculum is extremely easy to understand and practical. Often times, my staff tell me that they wish THEIR high school teachers taught my life skills lessons when they were in high school! It's all about having fun while we learn!

San Francisco Unified School District's Outstanding Special Education teacher, October, 2016

Master’s Degree in Special Education CA Teaching Credential in Special Education: Moderate/Severe Deaf-Blind Specialization Certificate Experience working in a variety of Special Education settings from 2011 to present day

As a public brand, Mr. Stephen understands that accessibility is crucial in building and maintaining a presence, online or otherwise. Along with reaching individual clientele through private consultation, and organized groups through public speaking, Mr. Stephen will strive to provide consistent, meaningful online content through his website and social media to meet the needs of audiences looking for fun and digestible information to further their knowledge on all things “Special Education” and “Disability”. Followers can count on unapologetic honesty and a light-hearted disposition. Consistent with the Hollywood approach, Mr. Stephen, the “persona”, is always ON! If it seems that he is pushing the envelope with his content and bending the unwritten, unspoken rules of the stereotypical teacher --he is! The brand purposely strives to challenge the idea that teachers should look, speak, write or act in any particular way. In fact, through his work, Mr. Stephen’s intent is to change the way we think and feel about the profession in a new and very different way while maintaining a high level of respect and diplomacy.