Austin King is a new English teacher, but a returning staff member. After 10 years of being a college and career coach, it just wasn’t “filling his bucket” anymore. He was offered the opportunity to teach and willingly took it up.
He believes that the amount of opportunities at Harding exceeds the amount of any other school in the district. Mr.King loves the staff here and believes that they encourage kids to think outside the box.
When he was asked what made him want to become a teacher, he explained that when he was in high school, he had a very significant moment with his music teacher. His teacher had explained something about how when playing a piece, one is overcome with emotion. At that moment, he was inspired, and that helped him realize that he wanted to inspire others too. He loves helping people find their superpower, “Without that moment with my teacher, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
If King hadn’t decided to become a teacher, he would’ve become a chef. Something he adores about Harding is how embedded the staff are in their students' lives and how they’re always trying to support them with things other than their academics, though he dislikes the fact that some students dare to vandalize the school and disrespect people that are trying to do their job.
Mr.King teaches both English 1 and Pre-AP English 2. He attended Ohio State University for college. Mr. King copes with the stress of teaching by taking things on at a time, he feels too many things at once can become overwhelming.
When asked what motivates him to teach, he stated, “I love watching others grow, I’m not just here for the start and finish. Watching others finally have their ‘aha’ moment and find their passion really motivates me.”