From the Inspirational Teacher's series:
Dr. Grant Horner is the Associate Professor of English, specializing in Renaissance and Reformation Studies at The Master's University. His extensive, impressive, and fun bio provides a glimpse into the breadth of personality, study, knowledge, skill, accomplishments, and relationships that deepen and sharpen the impact to students. His passion, precision, and perspective act like gravitational forces for student's attention. He brings the unaware student into the forefront of listening, discussing, and learning.
He provokes intense and lively discussions as if one is no longer in a classroom but real life. He makes an inspirational way for students to engage a scholastic and profound spiritual veteran of God's word and research without feeling dismissed or demeaned. He draws out the literary beauty of countless authors' intent and content that thrusts any ignorant student into immediate confrontation and reflection to what is truthful and loving. He thwarts compositional and literary boredom by casting light into the reality of what affects us and our decision making in life. He kills the stereotype of prestigious, prideful, gloating, and distant English professor by delivering a culturally honest, humble, and bold example of 'how' to engage the 'what' and 'who' of life.
I know. I was that student.
He opens his home to beginning and graduating students. His wife and home reflect his hospitality on the campus, in the classroom, and in personal conversation. He loves his family and lays a helpful direction on how to do the same. His personal stories and life testimony make any listening student thankful for God's work in his life. By this, he helps me see the beauty and trustworthiness of God, and I am incredibly thankful. Thank you Dr. Horner!
- What inspired you to teach?
Seeing how powerful a good teacher was. I was usually bored out of my mind in school, but on those occasions when I had a really amazing teacher it was so interesting I didn’t want to leave.
- Why do you teach the way you teach?
I teach passionately and I am highly kinetic. I always ask a tumbling cascade of questions designed to disorient students before working to help them understand what they are studying. The biggest roadblock to learning is thinking that you know things already. And I focus on showing people how to experience, enjoy, and be thankful for the Good, the True, and the Beautiful, all of which is ultimately rooted in God (even when it is mere human cultural production). I have the same passion about my wife Joanne, my kids and grandkids, my sport (rockclimbing and alpine mountaineering), and life in general. That’s because I am passionately thankful to God for His gifts.
- What teacher has had the greatest influence on you (parent, elementary teacher, pastor, professor, friend, colleague, etc)?
Academically, Stanley Fish, probably the top Milton scholar ever, and the finest teacher I ever had. He knew how to ask questions that made you rethink everything you think you knew. Spiritually, a gentleman named Bick Moore, who had been a Christian for 65 years and was in his 80s when I knew him. He was a retired professor and former pastor with a PhD, an MBA from NYU, an MDiv from Southern Seminary, and was ALSO a retired Army Colonel who fought in WWII and was at the liberation of one of the Nazi concentration camps. He had a massive influence on me with his gentle, wise nature and ability to see through spiritual fog and speak directly.
