By Emily Gibson
Section Editor
On a hot spring day 13 years ago, Andrew Burnham arrived at his interview with the Dean of the School of Education, frazzled and unkempt but on time.
After he exited I-440, his car broke down, and he walked the remaining mile to the university.
“I must have looked awful,” said Burnham. “Sure enough, they offered me the job, and I just couldn’t believe it.”
Andrew Burnham presented with Teaching Excellence Award – Photo courtesy Trevecca Marketing
Burnham experienced a similar kind of awe as he walked on stage as this year’s recipient of Trevecca’s Teaching Excellence Award. On February 29, Tom Middendorf, university provost, presented Burnham with the annual award.
“I work with a lot of really good professionals, so I was shocked and humbled,” said Burnham.
The Teaching Excellence Award is presented by the Conference of Chairpersons, composed of academic deans and department chairs. Students, faculty, and academic chairs nominate a faculty member for this award, which, established in 1982, recognizes excellence in classroom teaching. Faculty are eligible by being employed full-time, and they have to teach at least one course annually.
Burnham grew up in the small town of Bath, Maine, as the youngest of three boys.
In the Burnham household, the children were expected to be good students, athletes, and neighbors, but Andrew Burnham was also taught how to be a good builder by his father, a physical education teacher at Bath Junior High School.
After a semester at Roger Williams College in Rhode Island as an architect major, Burnham transferred to the University of Maine as an elementary education major, and while there, he came to know Christ and his wife, Christy.
Fall of junior year, Burnham’s roommate and lifelong best friend Derek Fisher returned a changed man after working at a Christian summer camp, after which Burnham was invited to attend a Christian group on campus called the Campus Crusades; moreover, when Bunhram went, he was surprised by what he discovered.
“I recognized in this group of people something I didn’t have, and I couldn’t really put my finger on it until I recognized that it was joy, and I wanted that,” said Burnham. “That’s when I really accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.”
In September of 1993, Burnham’s roommate Collin invited his girlfriend JoEllen and her roommate Christy to the apartment. The girls were students at Gordon College in Boston.
“So we drive four hours to this apartment where there’s four guys staying, and they all thought I would be a great match for this guy named Derek,” said Christy.
Burnham went to Derek’s room in private to ask if Christy was his type, and after Derek assured Burnham she was not, Burnham said she was his.
“By the end of that weekend, I think her and I knew that we were destined to be married,” said Burnham.
About a year later, the two married and later had three children, Ashley, Matthew, and Sarah.
Burnham began his teaching career at Newington Children’s Hospital School in Connecticut, after which he worked at a residential facility in Central Massachusetts, where he taught students with special needs for three years, decided to pursue his master’s degree in special education, and went on to teach exceptional learners at the elementary (4 years), middle (7 years), and high school levels (2 years).
Burnham recalls a time when his family was struggling, and God intervened. Christy told Burnham there was a family at their church who needed money, and despite Burnham’s hesitancy as they, too, were struggling to make ends meet, he agreed to give.
“I remember thinking we’re going to pay for this come bill time, but sometime within the next week or two, we got a check in the mail from some insurance company for the exact amount,” said Burnham. “It was God telling me he was going to take care of us, and from that moment, I have never worried about money.”
To this day, Burnham lives by the verse found in 1 Timothy 6:6, which reads, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
The Burnhams moved to Tennessee after a cross-country road trip made the two feel like there was something bigger for them outside of Massachusetts.
“I came down here to Nashville with the intent of seeing if God would open doors, and before the end of our trip, I had a job offer; we found a church and a house to live in,” said Burnham.
Burnham accepted the job offer at Longview Elementary School in Spring Hill, where he was asked to start their special ed program, and during his time there, Burnham was asked to speak at trevecca as a guest lecturer in the MAT Program to answer questions concerning special education.
“I was going through special education questions in Mackey when the dean walked in and watched,” said Burnham. “Before I was done that day, she said she wanted me to come in for an interview for the position, and when I said I didn’t have a doctorate degree, she said they would work with me.”
Burnham was offered the position and accepted, despite the pay cut, after which Trevecca assisted him in acquiring his doctorate from Tennessee State University.
Burham said he did not know how to teach a college class initially, so he used the book, but after a year or so, he began to look at the content and then taught the students what they needed to know in real life, and to this day he would consider himself a “practical teacher.”
This practicality is exactly what senior Special Education major Jocelyn Headrick appreciates about Burnham.
“It’s one thing to teach material, but it’s another to have experience and to teach the experience,” said Headrick. “He’s also very intentional with the students, even those who aren’t in the special ed program. He wants to hear their story and see them succeed.”
Burnham has not only been a listening ear and counselor for the hundreds of students who have come to him with a need, but he has also opened up his home to students who have been in need of a place to stay.
“One of Christy’s sayings is that people are important, which means you need to be self-sacrificial to meet the needs of people,” said Burnham. “ People have to have this connection; otherwise, they’re going to be out there on their own and struggling through life.”
When Burnham is not in the classroom, he can be found at home working on a project, reading history, or enjoying life with his wife, Christy. The two are soon-to-be canoe instructors and hope to one day combine their love of canoeing and love of fostering marriage relationships by helping couples in their marriage journey.
“I am content where I am, but if God came to me tomorrow and said here’s the next door you’re going to walk through, I would be happy to walk through it,” said Burnham.
