One of the things that I, as a co-editor of the Eagle’s Eye, hope for this newspaper is that it can be unifying for the community. Something I noticed as soon as I got back to school this year, though, was the amount of new teachers teaching core classes. At NCA, the fluidity of staffing positions is a characteristic most students take for granted, but my goal in these first few issues is to provide for students a little more background to those who’re teaching here, in order to cultivate a greater understanding and appreciation for our teachers.
As I began thinking of who to interview, it wasn’t hard to make a list of people I wanted to contact. The first teacher featured in this series is Dr. Paul Sjoberg, who teaches physics to the upperclassmen and geometry/Bible to a few underclassmen.
As a journalist, I believe that to understand, one needs to know what influenced your subject to become who/what it is today. This belief plays out in most (if not all) of my questions:
PETER: What was your early life like?
DR. SJOBERG: “I was blessed to be raised in a family that instilled the concepts of hard work (in the summers I had to weed our vegetable garden, help around the house and keep the yard clean), commitment (practicing piano and trombone lessons daily), and most importantly, my parent’s faith and diligence to take my siblings and me to church, where God touched my heart and saved me as a 7th grader.”
PETER: Who/what would you say made the biggest impact on you are today?
DR. SJOBERG: “Early in life (as a high schooler and college youth), our church youth group and church youth choir. As a young christian, these interactions helped me formulate my understanding of God’s grace and love, as well as build for me life long friendships with my brothers and sisters in Christ in the group. Also, there were just great times of fun and fellowship (each summer for 1-2 weeks, the choir would visit other churches and present concerts). These tours would be a wonderful time of building up my relationship with Christ and relationships with others.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also note some military bosses who impacted my life too (but no long discourse): Col (Dr.) James R. Knowles, Col Kimberly S. Cox, and Col (Dr.) Alton Powell.”
PETER: What’s your favorite part of teaching?
DR. SJOBERG: “Seeing my students grasp a concept, especially after a long, arduous physics problem :-)”
PETER: How have you seen God work before and since your family transitioned to Nicaragua?
DR. SJOBERG: “Getting here was an amazing work by God, but I will try to make it short.
Really, since 1981 I have felt a calling to some type of mission work. Between 1981 and 2015 it took the form of short term mission trips and supporting overseas missionaries. In 2011, after our family moved to Dayton, Ohio, I saw God beginning to open the door to a potential teaching job, what God had laid on my heart 30 years earlier. I still had commitments to the Air Force, but God opened the opportunity to take 2 short-term mission trips to Nicaragua through our church fellowship in Ohio, with Mr. David Weigand leading the first team which my wife Jackie, our two sons, Andrew and Joseph, and I were on. (My daughters, Rachel, and Lana came down with me the following year). So now, I just needed to be patient and wait for the Lord’s timing. Which God opened the door this past fall, I completed my military commitments, was approved for retirement, and blessed to be offered the position to teach here by the NCAI leadership.
While here in Nicaragua, I continue to see God’s faithfulness in giving me the time and aptitude to plan my lessons. Seeing patience from the students as they get used to my style and I learn from them on how better reach them with concepts. And, just His hand of protection over our children who are “empty nesting” back in Ohio without mom and dad (trying to survive on their home cooked meals, the life of college students).”
PETER: Do you have any hobbies you pursue?
DR. SJOBERG: I’ve no time at this point, so I do enjoy just getting out with Jackie to one of the malls on the weekends to take a break from lesson planning.
But actually, I hope to get my bike from the US soon, so will start cycling again. I’ve not yet gotten out to enjoy some great star gazing, but hope to do that in the future (so much less light pollution here), and the college hockey season has started, so that might be where people will find me Friday and Saturday nights (watching the games), at least through April. Other hobbies of my include snow skiing (a bit tough here) and water skiing: maybe possibilities exist?
I hope my interview with Dr. Sjoberg is both as informative and entertaining to you as is was to me! I think I speak for all of us here at the Eagle Eye when I wish Dr. Sjoberg the best of luck continuing teaching here in Nicaragua! Soon, I’ll be releasing another Teacher Feature: Ms. Alex Pasker!
If you have a teacher you’d like me to interview, a question you want to ask them, or an article you want to submit yourself, email it to ncaeagleseye@gmail.com!
