FACULTY FRIDAYS

Get to know our new sixth grade teacher, Tyler Davis

1. Where did you attend grade school/high school and what did you think you wanted to do when you grew up? Where did you attend college (name your degrees) and what did you do before joining the faculty at HLS? 

I was home-schooled through Sophomore year then enrolled at Covenant Christian High School. At CCHS I developed the ambition to teach English. I went to college at Ball State University and graduated in 2016 with a BA in English Literature. After graduating, I worked in retail before joining HLS. 

2. Is there a particular moment or memory that stands out for you when you were a student?

Any time I’m asked about my interest in literature and teaching, I go back to Senior year of High School, when my Bible Teacher assigned Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov in our Advanced Christian Thought class. At the time, I was a good reader, but I had no interest in serious literature. Brothers K changed all that. The novel is an overwhelmingly powerful story of good and evil, and the ways that people follow God’s will or rebel against Him. I remember suddenly realizing that topics like this were more worthy of attention and thought than any other. At the same time, I realized that all the greatest writers in the Western tradition are trying to answer precisely the same question Dostoevsky explores in The Brothers Karamazov. From then on, I had no questions about how I wanted to spend my time. 

 3. What attracted you to HLS and what have you learned about yourself after working for this school? What inspires you?

I always felt I would fit in best at a Christian school. I was drawn to HLS through two people in my life, my mom, Cindy Davis, and my good friend, Stephen Kilbourn. Both of them began working at the school before me, and I saw the joy and fulfillment that their work brought them. I also saw evidence of the high academic standards that HLS sets, and began to think it was the kind of place that might have a use for my interests and abilities. 

My students and faculty peers astonish me every day with their intelligence and diligence, and I continually try to reflect those traits. I’m constantly inspired by seeing the amazing work that my more experienced administrators and fellow teachers do at the Lower School. Every day, I’m gaining insights from them about how to be a better teacher. Having so many models of good teaching skills and practices encourages me to hone my own craft every day.

 4. What do you want HLS parents to know about you? What are your hobbies, interests, passions?

My interests are decidedly literary. I love history, literature, philosophy, theology, and the arts. If I’m not prepping lessons, grading, or sleeping, there’s a very good chance I’m immersed in a book, trying to unlock the secrets of the universe. Maybe that will sound dull, but it’s quite the opposite; I find a fascination and fulfillment in study that I have trouble putting into words.