Teacher Returns to Emmanuel St. Michael: Paul Buuck Gives Back to the Next Generation
Posted on February 01, 2016 by
Alicia Levitt
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Quality Education
Paul Buuck, an alumnus of Emmanuel St. Michael, went to college with the goal of becoming a pastor. But all that changed when he met his wife and felt led to pursue teaching instead.“In the end, it was God’s place to put me where I needed to be: in education,” Mr. Buuck says.Paul Buuck grew up in Fort Wayne, but taught in Lutheran schools in Nebraska and Kendallville, Indiana, before returning to Emmanuel St. Michael in Fort Wayne this summer. Having taught third grade for 26 years, Paul was thrilled to have the opportunity to teach the same grade.“I’m back at Emmanuel St. Michael,” he adds. “But on the other side of the desk.”This transition allowed Mr. Buuck to come full circle in his life, impacting children the same way he was influenced as a student at Emmanuel St. Michael.His robust experience gives students the opportunity to learn under a seasoned teacher, adding that his favorite subject to teach is Bible.“Christ is the center of everything we do. I like that time spent with kids talking about the Bible and asking, ‘What does that mean for us?’”Mr. Buuck’s enthusiasm for teaching spills over into other areas, including math and technology. He incorporates this love of learning into hands-on projects, including a third grade computer project where students research healthy snacks, then add the information to a wiki page. The culmination of the project includes students presenting the research using laptops at the school’s learning fair.