Meet The Dragon

 Chris Larson was raised by a conservative Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. He followed the example of his father, two of his uncles, and his older brother by serving his country as a United States Marine. He and his wife of 33 years have raised three children and are enjoying watching their oldest son raise their two granddaughters. He has been teaching essentially his entire life, either by helping his fellow students, raising his children, instructing Sunday School, or as a tutor, teacher, or professor.

His relationship with public education was never great. While not officially diagnosed as ADHD (That was just becoming a thing when he was a child.), he recognizes a great deal of similarities between himself and the ADHD students he's encountered over the years. He saw the same frustrations in them that he had during his own educational experiences.  As a professional educator, he saw why he and many, many students have been so exasperated with their academic ordeals.  The public school system isn't designed for students with unique interests and/or learning natures. He did what he could within the structure available to him and with the thirty to forty students he had at a time, but it wasn't enough. He knew students were being failed and he hated being a part of it.

Chris always considered his father, Ray Larson, Sr.,  to be a great man. After Ray's recent death, family and friends recounted all that Ray had accomplished in his life and the legacy he left behind. This inspired Chris to consider his own accomplishments and future legacy. He realized that time was short and, if he wanted to make full use of the gifts God had given him, the time to act was now. While finishing his contract with the public school at which he was teaching (He is a man of his word.), he investigated other options. He tried being a teacher at a private school, first. He liked the smaller class sizes, appreciated the freedom to speak of his faith openly, and reveled in the opportunity to teach religion, but found the overall educational approach to be the same as that of the public school.  When the time was right, he left the private school and began working on what would become Societas Draconis.

Societas Draconis is Latin for Society of the Dragon. Why Latin? It sounds cool. Why The Dragon? Chris really likes dragons. Dragons don't follow the same rules that the rest of the world follow. They can fly when physics says they shouldn't. They can do magic when reason says it doesn't exist. They are wise when those who fear them misunderstand them. Chris always felt misunderstood. Chris believes in the power of creatively directed reason. Chris loves to fly, literally and figuratively. Chris doesn't doesn't follow the rules just for the sake of following the rules. If the rules are getting in the way of people living the lives God meant for them to live, then they should not be followed. The "conventional" education rules are preventing vast numbers of students from securing their full potential. Societas Draconis is the means by which Chris is throwing off those rules in order to help his learners forge their own paths forward.