Daniel Glass joins the theology department
Daniel Glass has lived in six countries and experienced the culture of more than 40 countries, but he’s excited to be back in North Carolina to join the JPII family as a theology teacher. “I grew up traveling a lot, having spent part of my childhood living in England and China. While I graduated high school in Philadelphia and consider that home, I went to Elon University to study engineering and physics and since then, have always considered North Carolina home in many ways!” Our emphasis on community is what drew him to JPII. “Having a sense of community and family is one of the most important aspects of education for me. I am excited and looking forward to being in the classroom, but I am very excited to be a part of a community and to be present in extra-curricular activities and opportunities outside the classroom.” Glass has studied evangelization and education to the faith in general which included six years in the Salesians of Don Bosco Formation Program. “I think I knew that I wanted to live this out in a particular way as a teacher through my studies of theology and education. Over these years, more than just classes and information, education in the faith became something that I am passionate about and knew I wanted to pursue as a teacher,” he says. “I think I chose teaching because it is an opportunity to accompany and walk with young people in their faith.”
To do that, Glass uses the approach of Saint John Bosco who believed education is a matter of the heart. This approach seeks a holistic approach to education; more than just educating a mind for information, it focuses on the entire person to help them find a deeper understanding and interest in what is being learned. He believes that this approach seeks to meet the students where they are and build from there. “It seeks to put each student in the best position to succeed and grow to be the person that they were made to be as the protagonist of their education and journey.” And the journey is what Glass likes the most about being a teacher. “While information can be learned and memorized, education and teaching is more about helping the students find joy in learning. I like the aspect and challenge of making information and content something that is alive and dynamic instead of something that ends with a test.”
Glass is a cum laude graduate of Elon University with a bachelor of science in engineering physics, a magna cum laude graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor of science in civil engineering, a certificate of pre-theology from Seton Hall University/Immaculate Conception Seminary, and a theology degree from Instituto Superior Salesiano in Mexico. Outside of the classroom, he loves to go hiking and spend time outdoors (he hopes to start training for a triathlon). Other interests of his include reading, travel, playing soccer and basketball, and watching his Philly sports teams as well as Chelsea in the Premier League.
