“I forgot to print your prompt,” Dr. Jonathan Sircy exclaimed in the middle of class one morning, during the Fall 2018 Semester. Because the class was Non-fiction Prose and Its Process, the writing prompt was integral to the day’s activities. He debated whether to send the prompt to us later that day or if he should go to his office and kill a few trees by printing it off right then. “Do you think that I can make it back within ten minutes,” he wagered. “Do it,” we all chanted. Before we knew it, all of our faces were pressed against the window, watching as our professor sprinted across campus. The room echoed with animated voices as we alternated between shouting “Do you think he’s gonna make it?” and “Look at how fast he’s going!” He had told us to work on an in-class assignment while he was gone.
We did not work on the assignment.
Instead, we continued to stare out the window, debating whether or not he would get back in time.
“He’s going to make it! Did you see how fast he was running?”
“Are you sure? He only has ten minutes…”
Before the window had defogged from the heat of our breath, Dr. Sircy appeared in the doorway with a stack of freshly-printed papers—our assignment. He hadn’t even broken a sweat.
The rest of the semester reflected the surprising events of that day. Dr. Sircy swaggering victoriously into the classroom, waving the copies of the prompt in his hand, is the perfect image of our class experience in Non-fiction Prose and its Process.
Experiences like this incited us to interview Dr. Sircy regarding his own education experience, teaching philosophy, and extra-curricular passions.
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On the day of the interview, we walk into his office to find a space that is uncluttered yet overflowing with character. With the loaded bookshelf in the background as a testament to the fulfillment of his aspirations, we ask him: “is there one book that has influenced your life above all others, besides the Bible?”
According to Dr. Sircy, A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace is a “summation of funny, insightful, weird America that I aspire to.” The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James demonstrates James’ ability to portray the “sense that the real struggle in people is what happens inside them rather than what happens externally,” which, “is just magnificent.” The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser is special because “it’s a head trip of a poem. And, it is unexpected all the time.” Desiring the Kingdom by James K. A. Smith is “the most important book I ever read about teaching.” And finally, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey has advised him that “you should think about life not in terms of what you’re called to do, but in terms of what your responsibilities are.”
Elements of his teaching style appear to be evident in the books that he mentions. So, when we ask him “Do you prefer teaching at Christian universities” and “How do you incorporate your faith into your teaching,” his answers do not deviate from his established grain.
Dr. Sircy tells us that he appreciates teaching at Christian universities because he is able to express his faith in the classroom. “My teaching is overtly faith-filled in a way that was not true my first couple years teaching where I still had a USC [his alma mater] mindset.”
His educational philosophy is that education is discipleship. Dr. Sircy explains that “A disciple is a student, Jesus is a rabbi, so at the heart of what He did when He was on earth was, He taught people. Which means that what me and my wife and everyone here who is a teacher gets to do is have a life where we have this analog to what our spiritual lives should be like. So, once I made that connection, then it started—I realized ‘Oh, stuff that goes on in church is kind of educational’.”
The structure of his entire classroom experience revolves around church liturgy. He includes a gratitude exercise at the beginning of each class to more explicitly insert his faith into his classroom. In terms of intermingling faith and literature, Dr. Sircy says that the fact that Jesus teaches people through stories means that “real truth is being conveyed in the stories we teach, and real truth should be engaged in the papers those students write.”
"Real truth is being conveyed in the stories we teach, and real truth should be engaged in the papers those students write.”
After the interview has ended, my fellow interviewer and I migrate to the Rickman Library to discuss the event. Inevitably, the conversation steers towards the happenings of Non-fiction Writing and Its Process. We always seize opportunities to retell the story of Dr. Sircy racing across campus, advising his current students to embrace his passionate and attentive nature. From his intense story-board drawings that cover entire whiteboards to his discussions about modern rap music, Dr. Sircy’s classes reflect the vision of the man at the head of the classroom.
Originally published on The Freedom's Hill Primer. Click here to read the full account.
