Bill Durham » Bill Durham's Teacher Page

Bill Durham's Teacher Page


Greetings, and welcome to the 2021-2022 IN PERSON SCHOOL YEAR!
 
My name is Bill Durham, and I teach English here at Lake Balboa College Prep. I'm starting my 14th year at this school and my 17th with the District. This year I'm delighted to once again be teaching Advanced Placement English Language and Composition. I am also honored to be the Librarian for four periods each day.
 
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I was born in Texas and raised in small towns there and in Iowa. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theatre Arts (a double major), and my Master of Arts in Creative Writing from New York University. In addition to being a teacher, I'm also an actor, writer, horseman, husband, and father (in no order of importance).
 
I've loved acting since I was a little kid, and my favorite playwright is William Shakespeare (also my favorite to teach), although I love any good script. Here are a few pictures of me from my (very) long career. 
 
Bill as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth NightBill as Polonius in HamletBill as Sir Benjamin Backbite in School for ScandalMore School for Scandal shenanigans
 
As I wrote above, I'm also a horseman. I had my own beautiful horse for ten years, five in Texas  and five here in Los Angeles. Here's a picture of him, and one of us together.
 
My horse RockyRocky and Bill after riding in a parade
 
Rocky passed away in 2007, but lately I've been riding a horse named Aura. She and I took second place in a horse show in July of 2022 in Santa Barbara. Here's a photo of us.
 
Bill and Aura
 
My wife is a professional singer, and my daughter graduated during the pandemic with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from CSUN. This is a picture from a few years ago. It was my musical idol Johnny Cash's birthday. He was known as "The Man in Black," so we all dressed up in honor of him.
 
Bill with his wife and daughter
 
Everyone who's ever been my student knows what I consider the secret to success in life, but here it is anyway: 
Pay Attention!