Darrin Berard, a former newspaper reporter, has taught American Literature at Lowell High School in Lowell, Mass. since 2000. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Darrin lives in Lowell with his wife, Linda, and their four children: Molly, Benjamin, Jason, and Aidan.