Seth Brady was working as a survey researcher when he realized it was time to make a change.
“I liked my job but it felt like something was not fully right,” Brady said. “You think, could I do this for the rest of my life? Yes, but do I want to? I had worked with youth throughout college and I missed it.”
It was shortly after 9/11 that Brady decided to become a teacher, and in 2004 was hired by Naperville Central High School. He’s been teaching — and learning — for the past 13 years.
“What is great about this job is you are a learner and you have to stay curious,” Brady said. “There are so many ways to teach. You can always improve and you can always make it more engaging. To me that is interesting.”
We sat down with Brady to learn more.
What and where do you teach? I teach comparative religions, sociology, peace and conflict studies and a humanities capstone course at Naperville Central High School. I am also involved with the school’s Muslim Student Association and the Black and Latino Student Association.
How long have you been teaching? 13 years
What degrees do you have? Bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Illinois and a master’s from the University of Chicago.
How have you seen kids change over the years? I don’t know that kids have changed so much but I definitely think the amount kids are asked to do seems like it has changed. Sometimes it’s too much. Kids are still kids, but they have stressors that are different and in some ways more profound (than in previous years.) They have less and less time to be kids.
Do you have a teacher who inspired you? I grew up in a small town (Bad Axe, Mich). I wasn’t an awful student, but I also wasn’t that interested in school or in grades. But then around sophomore year I had a really captivating and interesting and motivating English teacher named Barb Fryzel. She told me I was really good at writing and that I should apply myself, and that seeped in over time. That was the beginning of coming to think of myself in a different way, as someone who could achieve academically. I was a late bloomer in a sense. She definitely inspired me; the power of one teacher to influence a student is pretty unbelievable.
Favorite subjects in school: Social studies and English.
What is a perfect day off for you? Just spending time with my wife and kids and doing some kind of family activity.
Did becoming a dad make you a better teacher? When my own kids caught up to the age of the students I was teaching, not only did it help me as a parent, it really helped me understand students better. It also helped me understand their parents better.
Do you have any advice for a new teacher? Find a school district where you are supported because teaching is a really challenging thing to do. You have to learn to be a good teacher and, for me, I am still learning. Every class has its own personality and you are continuously reinventing the wheel. If you find yourself doing the same thing year after year that is a problem.
Do you have a professional accomplishment you are most proud of? Working with other teachers and students from across the state to push the Global Scholar legislation, and then to see it get signed and implemented (is rewarding). I’m proud of my role in advocating for and eventually writing the Religious Studies Supplement to the C3 Framework (social studies equivalent of common core). These national kindergarten through grade 12 guidelines give educators guidance on how to teach about religion in a constitutionally-appropriate manner.
Do you have a favorite book? My favorite book of all time is “The Power of Myth” by Joseph Campbell.
Three words that best describe you: Curious, laid back and goal-oriented.
