Portland St. Patrick Catholic School

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

CAREER EXPERIENCE

Worked as an engineer at Gentex Corp. for three years after graduating from Calvin College. I left Gentex in July '08 to pursue teaching high school Math. This is my first year at St. Pat's and I am very excited to get my second career going!

 "What I enjoy most about St. Pat's is that Catholicism is engrained throughout the whole school - not just in religion class. I enjoy being an intimate participant in that, as well as living out the school's mission statement. I also am a huge fan of the small class sizes to enable a significant amount of 1-on-1 interaction."

Contact me at terryausten@portlandstpats.org.

Mr. Austen was featured on November 18, 2009:

Terry Austen is beginning his first year as an educator at Portland St. Patrick High School.  His educational background includes a degree in mechanical engineering from Calvin College and a mathematics degree from GVSU.

Mr. Austen is teaching several subjects this year, including AP Calculus and the new Personal Finance class offered to the sophomore class.  He continues the long standing instructional excellence in the advanced math classes at St. Patrick High School.  

Principal Randy Hodge says, “Terry Austen has teamed up with Paul Osbourne in our math department to provide our high school students with outstanding teaching talent.
His enthusiasm shows in every class the minute the students enter the classroom.”

St. Patrick School fits his ideal work environment.  Mr. Austen states, “Teaching math at a small Catholic school is definitely my dream job.  I hope my last day here is the day I retire.  I am already in love with the unique faith community that is contained in these walls.”  

On his teaching methods, Mr. Austen adds, “I truly believe that a teacher who is genuinely excited about the material is a great asset to the classroom.  Students will also see the inherent parallels between math and Christianity displayed on a daily basis.”