Looking back, Josh Farrar remembers his time at Coram Deo as a turning point in his life. The summer of his sophomore year in high school was pivotal and concluded with his decision to leave public school for CDA.

The transition wasn’t particularly easy. His testing scores were not up to par and he was only admitted to CDA on the stipulation that he take Grammar with the 6^th graders. This humbling experience was balanced by the other phenomenal classes that it allowed.  One of his favorite teachers, Dan Frederick taught Latin and Rhetoric while working on his doctorate. The Farrar family offered the doctoral student a place to live, if he in return would tutor Josh. His not-quite-in-the-box-thinking inspired Josh and sparked intellectual interests in him, as did a dynamic Literature teacher named Robi Marshall.

He recalls himself as being “a scared non-thinker, because there were all sort of gaps in my heart in terms of Christianity. I recited scripted answers and fell back on things that I had not adopted, but used to shield myself.” The teacher that helped bring this to light and had a profound effect on the ’03 alumnus was Apologetics teacher Robert Terry. “He had no idea the effect he had on me, but I lived and died on the books he handed us.” Terry had his students read Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. Not only did this book revolutionize his thinking, it also introduced Farrar to one of his favorite authors.

After Coram Deo, Josh went on to graduate from DBU, but not before he took some time renewing his faith at L’Abri. No longer a “scared non-thinker”, for seven months he lived, studied, worked and grappled with truth at the Swiss center for study founded by Frances Schaefer. Firmly established in his faith, Farrar returned home ready to graduate and well-prepared for the next endeavor God had in store, teaching at Dealey International Academy.

For three years, Josh taught Language Arts to 8^th graders in the Dallas ISD where he learned valuable information. He maintains that the only doctrines students in public school hold to are environmentalism and tolerance. So bringing Christ into the classroom conversation was quite easy for him as his students were very open to “new” ideas. Farrar asked his students and parents to sign a waiver that permitted him to use religious texts while discussing literary devices such as allusions. “I love the 8^th grade mind, because it is officially embarking on the abstract. I can carry on a 45 minute discussion on the nature of evil with them.” He says that he still has a passion for what he saw at Dealey, but stepped away from that position to be a better graduate student.

Josh also spent summers teaching courses such as “Vampire Literature” at Hockaday. He used the Twilight craze to introduce classic literature, proving again that he has the knack to reach students where they stand and then bring them to higher footing.

Currently earning his graduate degree in Humanities at the University of Dallas, Farrar found CDA the perfect place to return. He is now teaching 8^th grade History and English at our Dallas Campus as well as 5^th grade Bible, 6^th grade Geography and 7^th grade English. He says that he appreciates the opportunity to give back some of what he received, while having the time to study the subject which sets his heart on fire. Standing in the presence of that flame, it is clear he has the influence to kindle blazes in anyone within close proximity.