Every year, Jesuit welcomes new faculty and staff into the building. Today, I had the privilege of meeting one of the new members of the Jesuit family: Mr. Joseph Acker.
Mr. Acker is a currently a Physics teacher, but that was not what he initially thought he would be doing.
“When I was in college, I wasn’t looking into teaching as a profession,” said Acker. “I was working as a computer programmer.”
However, while doing computer consultation, Acker discovered that he very much enjoyed teaching others to conquer new and unfamiliar concepts. He wouldn’t immediately begin teaching at high schools, however. First, he helped teach other Christians at a Bible Study School in New Hampshire. “I was a student first at the school for several years,” said Acker. “Then there was chance to teach some New Testament Greek, which was a lot of fun.” Soon after, he began teaching at Liberty Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, and continued to do so for twelve years. He then crossed time zones into the Lone Star State, and instructed pupils at the nearby Trinity Christian Academy for twenty-eight years.
With all of his involvements with Christianity, you will likely not be surprised to learn that Mr. Acker has always been a religious person.
He is an Anglican, but he has a “great deal of affinity for Jesuit” and “really enjoys the Ignatian Formation aspect of Jesuit.” For many young teens, remaining religious is an incredibly tricky task; but for Acker, religiousness in high school came naturally, and even strengthened his bond with Christ.
The secret? Lord of the Rings! “I grew up going to church,” recalled Acker. “But when I was in high school, I read books by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and came to appreciate that they weren’t just telling good stories, but underlying their stories was the religious foundation. To me, a good novel always has that underlying spirituality to it. In high school I really started thinking about those kinds of things and taking Christianity more seriously and making it a bigger part of my life.” With such incredible commitment to religion, how did he end up teaching Physics of all subjects?
“You can’t really do science without faith. We do science by saying the universe has laws. Why would that be? It’s because there is a God behind it.” -Mr. Acker
Well, growing up on a farm in rural Georgia, Mr. Acker loved (and still does) looking at the night sky. “You can see the stars, the milky way. Ever since my childhood, I have been impressed by the majesty, the grandeur of the universe, God’s creation.”
The switch to physics was a smart choice for several reasons. “Undergraduate astronomy majors were few and far between,” said Acker. “But a lot of times, Astronomy was allied with Physics. They go very closely together. It was really just the overlap between Astronomy and Physics.” For many, science and faith seem incompatible; for Acker, they are complimentary: “You can’t really do science without faith. We do science by saying the universe has laws. Why would that be? It’s because there is a God behind it. Most of the great scientists of history have had strong religious faith, and that’s propelled them into their scientific careers.”
It should come as no surprise that Mr. Acker enjoys things in relation to Physics and Astronomy in his spare time. Science fiction is greatly intriguing to him.
In terms of board games, “I enjoy games like Settlers of Catan, where you have real choices to make,” said Acker, “I’ve also played Chess all my life. One of the things I’m looking to do at Jesuit is getting involved with the Chess Club.”
He also loves the outdoors and has visited many of our nation’s beautiful national parks. “I love the Grand Canyon. You’re at a high altitude – 7,000 feet, so at night the stars are amazing. Yellowstone is amazing too. Here in Texas, if it’s not too hot, Big Bend has some amazing beauty to it.” His nature treks aren’t limited to just the United States, however. “One summer, my wife and I went to the South Island of New Zealand. It’s pretty underdeveloped and sparsely populated. [My wife] has a brother who lives there, and we got to spend several weeks there – it’s like a giant national park.”
Mr. Acker’s ambitions extend beyond Physics when it comes to instructing young minds at the school. “Sometimes Jesuit has a summer astronomy class. That would be the dream, to teach astronomy.” said Acker. “Beyond that, I would love to teach a course where we try to tie science and faith together. I was talking with Father Jon Polce, and he is teaching the justice course on the environment, and I think that would be an awesome thing to get to teach.” In summary, Mr. Acker brings a lot to the table for our school, not only as a Physics teacher, but as a man of faith, community, and nature. Make sure to fondly welcome him to the Jesuit Dallas family!
Stay tuned into The Roundup for more faculty and staff news and interviews!
