Students enter the classroom silently and reverently, ready to start reflecting on the Bible passage that is on the board. Everyone then stands in prayer led by junior theology teacher Brock Hess, who also happens to be an English teacher as well.
This is Hess’s third school year at Miege, but his first teaching both English and theology. Hess was grateful when the opportunity to teach junior theology was given to him this year because he always wanted to be a theology teacher.
“From high school, theology was definitely what I wanted to study in college and my mom was the one who convinced me to try something in addition to that, and it was easier to find an English job than a theology job upon graduating,” Hess said. “I was very excited when I was presented the opportunity to teach theology this year, since I have a theology major.
Hess said he found great meaning in all of his theology classes that he took in high school, which led him to study theology in college.
“When I was in high school, I definitely found the most truth or practical meaning in my theology classes and I enjoyed them a lot,” Hess said. “I think they helped me grow the most as a person and so if I could do any type of recreation of that, I wanted to, so that’s what I wanted to do.”
Although Hess has taught only English classes for the past two school years, he is already happy with how well his theology classes are going compared to English classes.
“As of right now, I have to say I probably like teaching theology more, because I think it’s going really well in class so far,” Hess said.
Most importantly, Hess wants what is best for his students, both inside and outside of his theology classes. He has wonderful goals set for his students, in which he will try his hardest to help them meet.
“My most important goal I have for my students is to get them to learn how to think and work through things on their own in a correct way, and see that they can rely on the Church in all things,” Hess said. “It’s about exposing a new world view and trying to give them hope in a culture that is pretty dark right now.”
