Michael Austin

Background

About Michael Austin

I am passionate about the importance of academics/education, literature, storytelling, what great literature tells us about ourselves as human beings, and what we can consequently do with that information to better ourselves, our communities, and the world. One of my favorite quotes touches on this idea, it states "What is literature, really? Boiled down to a single sentence, I'd say it's this: an endless conversation about what it means to be human. And to read literature is to engage in that conversation." – Nicole Krauss. I am constantly reading all manner of great works, seeking books I haven’t read before to add yet another entry into the library of my mind. Shakespeare is my all-time favorite creator of great literature, described by some scholars as The Great Humanist, Shakespeare’s relevancy today endures, I believe, in great part due to his understanding and ability to depict how human beings are. And now, 400 some odd years later, we find human beings are very much still the same. My great interest and appreciation of the man and his works stem from this understanding he demonstrated. I love to learn, whether that be the history of the rise and fall of empires or the science behind black holes, and truly believe in the importance of learning as an attitude and lifelong approach for our enrichment as human beings, and the enrichment of our lives. I also love to teach and have found great success in doing so, being approachable and colloquial enough to be engaging, but able to raise the bar little by little in the academic ability and understanding of my students. I am well-versed in various online classroom functions, zoom, and lesson/curriculum design, especially in Literature. I also have a strong belief in the importance of organization, efficiency, and progress, in that order. I have found that when one can create a culture of organization, efficiency ceases to be an uphill battle, and arrives almost organically. Any further efforts for efficiency are than exponentially more effective in an organized workplace. Then comes the need to focus on progress: stagnation is death, and I really do believe that. You grow, expand, and flourish, and success will keep coming, because growth - when not forced - is just that: success. In my efforts to practice these principles I have developed an extensive knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, and Google Office Suite.