By Megan Lloyd, The Whetstone

 

Q: When were you born?

A: I was born on February 15, 1983.

 

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: I grew up in Tennessee in a small town outside of Nashville.

 

Q: What did your mother and father do for a living?

A: My dad was a mobile homes salesman and worked in mobile home factories. My mother was a paralegal.

 

Q: What was your favorite thing to do as a child?

A: I liked to read. I played video games. My mother told my brother and I that if we could roll coins and save up, then we could buy a Nintendo. So we saved up for two years and bought one. I also really liked GI Joes.

 

Q: Was there a turning point in your life that helped you decide to be a teacher?

A: I was an English major in school. I didn’t know I wanted to teach until I noticed that you could get paid to talk about books and think about stuff. I realized that was what my professors were doing and it was something I wanted to do, too.

 

Q: Where did you attend school and what was your major?

A: A small liberal arts college in Tennessee called Sewanee. I majored in English.

 

Q: How did you hear about Wesley College?

A: I saw the position advertised. Wesley fit the location where I was looking to move. My wife and I have had a long distance marriage for three years. She had been living and working in Maryland while I was in Alabama. She had offered to move where I was working, but I wanted her to stay so I waited until I had the opportunity to move to her.

 

Q: Have you always known that you wanted to be a teacher?

A: It wasn’t until I was in college that I saw what my professor’s job was like that I really considered teaching myself.

 

Q: What is your impression of Wesley College so far?

A: I have only been here for a couple of weeks, but so far it has been exactly what I was looking for. The students are engaged and interested. I am pleased with how eager everyone is and that they come here with a purpose.

Q: What courses do you teach here at Wesley?

A: I am teaching two sections of the First Year Seminar about pirates. I am also teaching EN205 (Great Myths of Britain) and EN330 (Studies in the Short Story).

 

Q: Have you taught at any schools prior to Wesley?

A: Prior to Wesley I taught at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. As a grad student I also taught classes at the University of Tennessee and the University of Illinois.

 

Q: What do you hope your students take away from your classes?

A: I have an emphasis on humanism in all of my classes. I want my students to know the importance of balancing the business of earning a living with the business of learning how to live.

 

Q: Do you have any interests/hobbies?

A: I’m a big Chicago Cubs baseball fan. I enjoy a lot of sports. I do a lot of running. I recently took up rowing after attending a class when I moved here. My wife and I have also been taking up cooking on the weekends. We try new recipes and just started learning how to cook Chinese food.

 

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: My answer changes depending on what day you ask me. But today, I’ll say Dante’s Divine Comedy.

 

Q: Are you married? Kids?

A: Yes. No kids.

 

Q: How would you describe your style of teaching?

A: I would say my style is approachable. I am laid back and really want students to feel supported. I want to help all of my students arrive at their answers independently. In my classes, I always like to foster discussions for students to engage in.