Teaching our youth is no easy feat, especially when you start teaching during the pandemic. But Andrew Eggleston (English, ’15) has found satisfaction and success in the classroom, teaching in Aurora, Colorado. Eggleston’s undergraduate experience in the Department of English played an important role in strengthening his passion for both learning about and teaching English.
Read more about Eggleston’s career in teaching and how it was formed by his time here at CSU.
What is your current job?
I’m a high school English teacher at Grandview High School in Aurora, CO. I primarily teach 9th and 10th graders but intend on taking over the Shakespeare course in two years’ time.
What do you do outside of work (hobbies, volunteering, community involvement, etc.)?
Outside of work, I tend to spend my summers golfing and reading. During the school year, you can find me using my downtime enjoying some video games or playing board games with friends.
How does your liberal arts degree play a role in those?
As a lifelong reader, I make it a point to share with my students what I am currently reading. I made a poster for last year’s books that I keep in the back of my classroom, and I have a spot on my whiteboard that shows what I’m currently reading. Last year I read 29 books, and I’m already on book number 27 this year. The goal is to read at least 40 books this year, and that goal looks to be more than achievable. My degree is also vital to my career as I often look to my classes at CSU as a foundation for how I approach and develop much of my pedagogy and lessons.
What are you most proud of personally and professionally?
What I’m most proud of is having made it through the start of my teaching career. I started teaching in 2019 – a school year that ended going remote due to COVID. Since then, no year has looked the same. I have had to adapt pretty rapidly to the needs of my students to ensure their education is as comprehensive as I can provide. Through it all, I’ve found that this is the career I was meant for, and I’ll be entering my 5th year teaching in August.
What story about your career or life would you like to share with other alumni and/or current CSU students?
In March of this year, I was awarded a scholarship by the Denver branch of the English-Speaking Union for the Teaching and Learning Abroad program. I was selected as a participant in the Teaching Shakespeare through Performance program through Shakespeare’s Globe. This summer, I’ll spend three weeks in London learning and working with the professionals at Shakespeare’s Globe to learn how to bring his works to life in my classroom.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?
CSU was a hugely formative part of my life. Specifically, the English department played a big role in helping me determine my future. There are so many professors of whom I often speak highly to my colleagues as inspirations to my pedagogy. Notably, this includes Zach Hutchins, Aparna Gollapudi, Paul Trembath, Rebecca Kennedy (ret.), and Kristina Quynn.
The CSU Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts is a vibrant community of critical thinkers pursuing works of creative artistry and interdisciplinary scholarship within and beyond CSU. Learn more about the undergraduate English Education concentration to learn more about pursuing a career in teaching English language arts.
