Trinity theology teacher Mr. Josh Kusch knows how to make the right moves on a chess board and a basketball court. The University of Louisville and St. Meinrad School of Theology graduate (M.A.) began teaching at Trinity in 2012.  Mr. Kusch moderates the Chess Club and is a Seton House mentor.

Q: You are a member of the faculty Old School basketball team and play in the annual Student-Faculty Game. What sparked your passion for basketball?

A: I’ve played basketball since I was a kid.  I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and always wanted to dunk, so it was great when I could get one down when I was about 17 or 18. 

Q: What motivated you to become a teacher?

A: I always liked explaining things and making them intelligible to people.

Q: What was the reason you wanted to dive deeper into your faith and become a theology teacher?

A: I loved studying theology and thought that if I could make that my job, then that would be great!

Q: What made you decide to teach at Trinity and not at any other Catholic school?

A: I knew someone on the Trinity faculty, Betsy Dunman, who was the chair of the Theology Department at the time.  I thought she could help get me a job.

Q: What is your favorite part about teaching at Trinity and why?

A: I like the subject I teach, and I enjoy being with the students, as well as the privileges of being a Trinity teacher, like access to the Marshall Center weight room (before COVID).

Q: What are your biggest strengths as a teacher?

A: I think my biggest strength as a teacher is that I know the subject material, and I like to present it to others.

Q: How do you connect theology to the real world?

A: Connecting what I teach to the real world is one of the hardest parts of the job, since most students don’t see its relevance to their lives.  But I try to show that faith is reasonable and that God doesn’t want to stop all our fun but really does have our best interest at heart.

Q: If you could teach a class other than theology at Trinity, what would it be and why?

A: I wish I could teach one of the foreign language classes.  I was always good at languages and think it sounds fun to teach.  Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten most of my Spanish and we don’t offer Greek or Latin.

Q: What has been the toughest aspect of teaching during this pandemic?

A: The toughest part is that you don’t get to know the students as well and there’s just not as much interaction between the students or between the students and teacher.

Q: What has been rewarding about this past year?

A: I still enjoy getting positive feedback about the class or a student expressing excitement regarding something we are learning in class.  It actually does happen on occasion.