For the latest installment of “Teacher Feature” our new Theology teacher (and youngest faculty member) Mr. Curtis was more than happy to share some of his life with us.
Mr. Curtis grew up in a small, rural town in East Tennessee known as Tracy City. He attended Union University, which is a small Christian school in Jackson, TN.
He also mentioned that even though Lafayette is hotter, he enjoys the food more than his previous town, which was Birmingham, AL. Mr. Curtis has been married for just over five years to his wife April. April’s parents travel around the world working in missionary and because of this, she was able to travel to various countries. She and her family lived in Venezuela for five years.
Teaching Bible study led Mr. Curtis to the classroom.
“My background in teaching the Bible and theology in various other settings shaped my interest in teaching as a career,” said Mr. Curtis. “I enjoy challenging students to think about what they believe and why because I was never really challenged to think about what I believed until college.”
Mr. Curtis also says that teaching takes a great deal of planning and is a huge commitment, but overall he enjoys it.
Mr. Curtis also shared some of his high school secrets, giving advice.
“Life is vapor, you will be here one minute and gone the next,” said Mr. Curtis. “All choices have consequences, so make sure to consider what you do before you do it.”
When asked if he could go back and change parts of his high school life Mr. Curtis answered, “I enjoyed my high school experience, and I don’t think I would change anything about it.”
Even though Mr. Curtis is the youngest teacher at the SMP campus, he does not feel limited by it.
“I had an older brother, so I am used to being the youngest. I think it is funny when I meet new people and they think I am a student here.”
Mr. Curtis also shares about his experiences so far at Ascension. “I have enjoyed the Ascension family so far. I was not quite sure what to expect, but I have enjoyed getting to know the faculty and students here.”
Mr. Curtis has many great ideas to bring to the Theology department, including showing students that theology is not irrelevant. Mr. Curtis also wants to show students that our own beliefs have an impact on how we live day by day.