Finding Fulfillment: Rewarding Moments Found Through Education and Serving Others

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Finding Fulfillment: Rewarding Moments Found Through Education and Serving Others"

Podcast: Hillsdale College Podcast Network Superfeed
Episode: Beyond the Bubble – Career Services, “Finding Fulfillment: Rewarding Moments Found Through Education and Serving Others”
Host: Lily Fay Kramer
Guest: Sam Clausen (Hillsdale College Class of 2017, Math & Religion Major, Teacher at Atlanta Classical Academy)
Release Date: October 28, 2025

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Overview

This episode of "Beyond the Bubble," a Career Services podcast from Hillsdale College, features alumnus Sam Clausen discussing his journey from student leader and math major at Hillsdale to his career as a high school math teacher and coach. Clausen opens up about formative campus experiences, influential mentors, teaching philosophy, the challenges and joys of serving as a teacher, and the significance of liberal arts education in shaping well-rounded, service-oriented individuals. The conversation is rich in anecdotes and practical advice for students considering education as a career.

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Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. Hillsdale Experience & Activities ([01:39]–[02:21])

• Background: Class of 2017; B.S. in Math and Religion.
• Campus Involvement: Resident Assistant (RA) in Simpson and Neifelt, Bible studies, "Goal Program" involvement.
• Favorite Extracurricular: Participation in the now-defunct Renaissance School, working with at-risk youth who attended school as an alternative to juvenile detention. This left deep, vivid memories and a sense of purpose.

Sam Clausen: “At one point I even remember talking to a student through why he had just punched his best friend in the face and thinking what a bizarre conversation this is. [...] In some ways it was terrible. These students were in really rough places. But to have some part, and kind of a light part, of their day was just an incredible opportunity.” ([02:21])

2. Inspiration to Teach & Impact of Mentoring ([03:45]–[04:34])

• These early mentorship experiences, plus tutoring at Hillsdale High, crystallized Sam’s calling as a teacher. Personal relationships and being a consistent presence for students in need became a major draw to the teaching profession.

Sam Clausen: “So many of those students didn't have someone that they knew would be there. And so school became a place where there was someone who's going to be there every day or every week and they could count on it. And that made a huge impact on some of their lives.” ([04:11])

3. Influential Professors and Classroom Practices ([04:41]–[05:54])

• Sam credits Hillsdale faculty, especially Dr. Copeland, whom he still consciously “mimics” by welcoming each student to class daily.
• Also inspired by Dr. Murphy and Dr. Gabler's enthusiasm for math and interdisciplinary teaching.

Sam Clausen: “Every single class, I like to welcome my students and say, I'm glad you're here. You may not feel like you had a choice to be here, but you did, and I'm glad you chose to be here with us today.” ([05:03])

4. Teaching Challenges & Improv Skills ([06:06]–[07:05])

• Improvisational theater experience at Hillsdale helps Sam adapt on the fly when lesson plans fall short.
• He emphasizes relinquishing some classroom control to students, remaining confident in his subject area, and being receptive to unexpected directions in class.

5. Career Path: From Michigan to Atlanta and Back ([07:22]–[09:16])

• Job search included attending fairs and following connections to Atlanta Classical Academy, thanks to a Hillsdale alumni community.
• After initially leaving Atlanta for Toledo Christian to be closer to home, Sam returned (post-pandemic) to Atlanta for the strength of the community — describing a whirlwind ten-day turnaround sparked by a summer teacher conference at Hillsdale.

Sam Clausen: “It took about 10 days from going to the teacher conference in the summer at Hillsdale, meeting up with all my friends that were still in Atlanta, calling the principal, saying, is there any way I could ever come back? And them saying, we have a job opening in first grade or eighth grade physics. And I said, I'll take whatever one, just tell me that I can come back.” ([08:21])

6. The Value of a Liberal Arts Core ([09:27]–[10:49])

• Hillsdale’s broad education allows Sam to connect with students across disciplines — discussing literature, history, math, and more.
• This breadth deepens his understanding of, and connections with, students beyond their performance in math.

Sam Clausen: “If I could only see them as mathematicians, I would miss out on the students that are brilliant in some of these other fields...” ([10:49])

7. Most Rewarding Teaching Moment ([11:33]–[14:06])

• Sam recounts an emotional transformational moment: comforting a struggling seventh grader who felt she “didn’t belong” and “was stupid” for not making the honor roll. Years later, at her graduation, she returned with a letter thanking him — an example of how small, compassionate gestures can bear fruit years later.

Sam Clausen: “That was so amazing that five and a half years later, one of those little moments that was unplanned, that could have gone a thousand different ways, really had sprouted and I got to see some really wonderful fruit from a seed that had been buried for a long, long time.” ([13:31])

8. The Service-Oriented Nature of Teaching ([14:26]–[15:02])

• Teaching is described as a vocation of service, not about “getting what you deserve” but about serving students and appreciating mutual service.

Sam Clausen: “This is a service minded job. You don't want to get what you deserve as a teacher and you don't want to give students what they deserve. You want to serve each other and appreciate when students do that and don't take for granted when they do their homework and don't expect that you get thanks for grading that homework. It is a very service-oriented job.” ([14:26])

9. Coaching and Extracurricular Involvement ([15:12]–[16:48])

• Roles include middle school volleyball coaching and head coaching boys’ baseball, helping to build a varsity program.
• Coaching gives Sam additional avenues to connect with, empower, and see students thrive outside the classroom.

10. Advice for Aspiring Teachers ([17:04]–[18:41])

• Recommends all aspiring educators get in a classroom — through TA roles, the apprenticeship program, summer opportunities, or by sitting in on classes.
• Observe all facets of classroom management and ask, “Would that give me life?”

Sam Clausen: “Even if you can't get into say the apprenticeship or you can't do a summer TA opportunity, which look for those as well...just ask an academy teacher if you can sit in on a couple of their classes...watch the teacher, not for necessarily the content, but for what they're doing. Notice where their eyes go, notice where their body goes, and see all the thought that goes into it. And then think to yourself, would that give me life?” ([17:54])

11. Most Influential Out-of-Department Classes ([19:08]–[21:48])

• Required writing-heavy courses—Great Books and History of the World Wars—significantly improved his communication skills, which benefitted him far beyond his majors.
• The challenge and growth from feedback (“you just frankly have no writing voice”) catalyzed Sam’s growth as a writer and thinker.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “To have some part, and kind of a light part, of their day was just an incredible opportunity.”
  – Sam Clausen on working at Renaissance School ([02:48])

• “The need that young people have for role models, for people that will even just show up consistently...”
  – Sam Clausen ([04:03])

• “You may not feel like you had a choice to be here, but you did, and I’m glad you chose to be here with us today.”
  – Sam Clausen, on his daily classroom welcome ([05:03])

• “You want to serve each other and appreciate when students do that and don’t take for granted when they do their homework...”
  – Sam Clausen ([14:34])

• “Would that give me life? Is that a thing that I would like to do or is this not from me?”
  – Sam Clausen’s advice for students considering teaching ([17:54])

• “As I look back…he was being kind and generous. To say I had no writing voice, it was really bad.”
  – Sam Clausen, on tough feedback improving his writing ([20:13])

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Key Timestamps for Segments

• [01:39] – Sam's Hillsdale journey and activities
• [02:21] – Renaissance School experience
• [03:45] – Decision to enter teaching
• [04:41] – Most influential professors
• [06:06] – Handling unplanned teaching moments; improv skills
• [07:22] – Transition to teaching in Atlanta; importance of community
• [09:27] – Impact of liberal arts/core curriculum on teaching
• [11:33] – Most rewarding teaching experience
• [14:26] – Teaching as service
• [15:12] – Coaching and connecting outside the classroom
• [17:04] – Practical advice for aspiring educators
• [19:08] – Most influential non-major classes

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Tone and Atmosphere

The conversation is friendly, encouraging, and deeply reflective. Both host and guest embrace a tone of gratitude, humility, and humor, with an emphasis on the profound rewards—often hidden and long-term—found through education and serving others.

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Conclusion

This episode provides listeners with an inspiring look at the vocation of teaching, the lifelong ripple effects of small acts of mentorship, and the practical value of a liberal arts education. Anyone considering education—or just interested in the ways fulfillment and service can intertwine—will find Sam Clausen’s stories and advice both illuminating and motivating.

Transcript

[Mark Levin]

Hello America. I'm thrilled, thrilled to announce my new 10 part podcast series, Liberty and Learning with Mark Levin and Larry Arne. Join me and my dear friend Dr. Larry Arne, President of Hillsdale College, as we dive deep into the founding principles of our great nation. In these challenging times, understanding our history and the ideals of self government is more crucial than ever. We'll explore the core of America's current crises. The changes in our government and what it means for our lives and liberties. From education to borders, citizenship to the separation of powers will cover it all. Tune in to Liberty and Learning with Mark Levin and Larry Arn of Hillsdale College. So subscribe now and join us on this wonderful journey to rediscover the principles that made America the freest, most prosperous nation in history. Don't miss it.

[Sam Clausen]

Listen right now to Liberty and Learning with Mark Levin and Larry Arne at Podcast Hillsdale. Edu. That's Podcast Hillsdale. Edu or wherever you find your audio.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Hi there and welcome to beyond the Bubble, a podcast by Career Services to connect alumni with current students. My name is Lily Fay Kramer and I'm here with Sam Clausen, a 2017 graduate of Hillsdale College. Thank you, Sam for joining us.

[Sam Clausen]

Thanks for having me.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Awesome. So to get us started, I'm going to ask you a few questions. What year did you graduate, what did you major in and what were some activities you participated on campus?

[Sam Clausen]

Yeah, well, I was a 2017 grad. I got a BS in math and religion. I was involved primarily in a lot of dorm life. I was an RA at Simpson and then had RA at Neifelt. I did some Bible studies and did some goal program work. I lived in Simpson two years and then was an RA my junior year before moving over.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Okay, super fun. What was your favorite club that you did and why?

[Sam Clausen]

I really enjoyed my time with an old Gold program that I don't think exists anymore. But it was called the Renaissance School. It worked with students at risk in the county and basically they could go to school here instead of going to juvenile detention. And so I have some very vivid memories of walking in and the, the class, the classes just feeling very sort of barren and without hope. But as more and more college students were coming in, the students would, would start to light up when they saw us. And at one point I even remember talking to a student through why he had just punched his best friend in the face and thinking what a bizarre conversation this is. And in some ways it was, it was terrible. These students were in really rough places. But to have Some part, and kind of a light part of their day was just an incredible opportunity. And so I really appreciate and value that. That was an opportunity that I had.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

For sure. For sure. Do you think that was also an influence that made you want to become a teacher? Do you think that guided you?

[Sam Clausen]

Yeah, for sure. Teaching was maybe a possibility as I came into college, but really, experiences like that and then just doing some tutoring over at Hillsdale High made me realize I love all aspects of this. I love the challenge of the academics and can I get a student to understand, but also the personal relationships that you can develop and the need that young people have for role models for people that will even just show up consistently. So many of those students didn't have someone that they knew would be there. And so school became a place where there was someone who's going to be there every day or every week and they could count on it. And that made a huge impact on some of their lives. Wow.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

So as a teacher now, who do you think your most influential professor was while you were at Hillsdale?

[Sam Clausen]

That's a great question. Yeah, I think in terms of some of the practical things I do, I still very consciously and intentionally mimic Dr. Copeland. I remember him welcoming me every single class and saying, I'm glad that you're here. And so every single class, I like to welcome my students and say, I'm glad you're here. You may not feel like you had a choice to be here, but you did, and I'm glad you chose to be here with us today. I think that I also carry pretty good chunks of Dr. Murphy and Dr. Gabler, and just the way that they could get so excited about different strands of math and the way that they fit together or that they fit with history or philosophy. And I like to think that I have carried a lot of them with me into the classroom as well.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Okay, so now I have some more questions about your career. What is it like to prepare last minute for a class if you don't have enough lesson plans, like you're having a bad day? What does that look like?

[Sam Clausen]

Well, I actually fall back on another of my favorite clubs and experiences. At Hillsdale, I was part of the improv troupe that got started or kind of restarted in my time there. And so I have had to use a lot of that. Yes. And. And take something and build on it and go with it, because it's very stressful to go into a class and feel like you're not really sure where this is going. And so you have to Be willing to give up a little control in the classroom to your students. And really, even if you have a great plan, you have to give up a little control to your students to see where they're going. And then be confident that you are an expert in your field. That I know Algebra one and I can do it, and that I can take different answers and build it towards something that I know is true and that I'm trying to get my students to see as true as well.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

That makes sense. So you're an upper level math teacher at Atlanta Classical Academy. How did you decide on teaching in Atlanta at a classical school after you graduated Hillsdale? What was that job search like?

[Sam Clausen]

Yeah, I went to the job fair and talked to who knows how many schools and they all sounded great and they all sounded terrifying to leave Hillsdale. And the things I knew, it really kind of came down to there were some folks down here that I knew already. So Aaron Sheps, Garrett Holt, Josh Andrew. They were upperclassmen when I was a freshman that had sort of gotten to know me. Garrett was my RA and they were starting to build a community down here that I thought I could. I could be a part of this. This could be a continuation of what my life was like at Hillsdale. And so I made the move down. I'm from Michigan originally, and so moving to a big city was hard. Moving to the south was hard. And in fact, after my first year, I gave up on it. I moved closer to home. There was an opening at Toledo Christian, which was maybe about two and a half hours from where I grew up, and it was at a Christian school. But after two years, the pandemic hit and I realized just how lonely I really was there in a place that I didn't feel like I had the community. And so I reached back out and it took about 10 days from going to the teacher conference in the summer at Hillsdale, meeting up with all my friends that were still in Atlanta, calling the principal, saying, is there any way I could ever come back? And them saying, we have a job opening in first grade or eighth grade physics. And I said, I'll take whatever one, just tell me that I can come back. And it was about 10 days from end of conference to the U haul was packed up and I was moving back down to Atlanta.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Wow, that is such a good story.

[Sam Clausen]

Yeah.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

How has your Hillsdale education, specifically the core, how do you think that has helped you as a teacher?

[Sam Clausen]

That's a good question. We really try at a lot of these classical schools that are affiliated with Hillsdale to mimic the core, to have a broad basis for students where they can understand the interconnectedness between disciplines. So it's actually really, really helpful for me to be able to talk to students in study hall or at lunch or just in passing. And they're talking about their government class, and I know what they mean. Or we do something in math, and I can make a passing reference to Dante because I know that's what the 10th graders are reading right now. Or I can talk to them about Flannery o' Connor when they're doing their senior thesis, because I've read and pretty extensively in Flannery o'. Connor. And so I know the sort of things that they're doing, and it helps me to be a better teacher. Not just, okay, I get them to do some math, but I can see the whole vision for what are all of my colleagues doing and what is the immense value that they bring. So I can kind of find my place in it.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Yeah, that's awesome that you have the context for your students to, I don't know, recognize what they're doing. And I feel like that's another level of connection that you have too, because of your liberal arts, all your classes that you took at Hillsdale. So that's awesome.

[Sam Clausen]

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And it just makes things more interesting. I'm less one dimensional. And then because I'm less one dimensional, I can see my students as less one dimensional. If I could only see them as mathematicians, I would miss out on the students that are brilliant in some of these other fields and not be able to appreciate just how amazing it is that, wow, they memorized the beginning of Beowulf in Old English. That's amazing, because if I had never had to do things like that, I would not be able to appreciate my students who can do those things as well.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Wow, that's such a good perspective. What's the most rewarding moment you've experienced as a teacher?

[Sam Clausen]

So my first year down here in Atlanta, I taught seventh grade math. And it was after an award ceremony for student of the quarter who made the principal's list, got really good grades. We did that, and then we moved to dismissal. And one of my seventh graders, who struggled a bit in math, she got decent grades. She usually got Bs, but Bs don't make it on the principal's list. They don't make it on the honor roll. And so she was just inconsolable, crying to the point where I took her out into the hallway with her best friend. And she just kept saying something like, I'm, I'm stupid. I can't do this. Like I don't fit in here. And I got a chance to tell her, you do belong. You're not stupid. There is so much more to who you are as a person than your grade and seventh grade math. I can guarantee that there are going to be so many more important things in your life and you are working really hard. And that's the thing that matters. That's the thing that you should be proud of, is the person you're becoming. And so fast forward, I left that class, I went to Toledo for a couple years, came back and got to reteach that class pre calculus and calculus when they were juniors and seniors. And finally at that student's graduation, she came back up to me with that same friend that had also come out into the hallway and they both had written a letter and they said, I'm sure that you don't remember this moment. And as soon as they said that, I said, I know exactly what you're talking about. You're talking about when we went out into the hall and they just started crying again, like, yes. That's the moment that sort of changed that. I felt like I belonged here. I felt like I could do it. And so that was so amazing that five and a half years later, one of those little moments that was unplanned, that could have gone a thousand different ways really had sprouted and I got to see some really wonderful fruit from a seed that had been buried for a long, long time.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

So what I'm hearing from you is that yes, you teach math, but you also teach so many other life lessons as a teacher and you just, I don't know, you can shape so many students and I feel like that can be make or break it. I feel like that also roots from your experience as a goal leader at Hillsdale.

[Sam Clausen]

Absolutely. There's a lot of that. This is a service minded job. You don't want to get what you deserve as a teacher and you don't want to give students what they deserve. You want to serve each other and appreciate when students do that and don't take for granted when they do their homework and don't expect that you get thanks for grading that homework. It is a very service oriented job.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

So you teach at Atlanta Classical. How do you do any extracurriculars with the students? Do you lead any clubs outside of class?

[Sam Clausen]

Yeah. So for a couple years I was the middle school B team assistant volleyball coach and for a Few more years. I've been the boys baseball head coach and then I'm helping us to build varsity high school program. So we had our first year of JV baseball last year and this year I think we'll have another year at JV before we'll build it into a full blown varsity program. So baseball takes up a decent amount of my time, especially in the spring as well, and it's a blast. I really love getting to see students in a different light. And I think of one of our students in particular who, especially when he was in middle school, would get so nervous in class that he could, he could barely get the words out. You kind of had to prep him of I'm going to ask you a question or he would get so nervous. But man, as soon as he steps onto the baseball field, he could take charge and be a team leader. And so it was really fun to get to see that different side of a student.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

For sure. That's so special that you have that opportunity to be with them.

[Sam Clausen]

Yeah.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Did you ever do club baseball at Hillsdale?

[Sam Clausen]

I never did club baseball at Hillsdale. It was, it was off for a couple years while I was there and then by the time that it had kind of picked back up again, I'd gotten so involved in goal and Bible studies and being an RA and improv that I just never picked it up.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Yeah, that makes sense. That makes sense. What are some things that you think are important to do before becoming or thinking about being a teacher? What are some steps you would recommend to students considering education?

[Sam Clausen]

Get yourself into a classroom. If you can do the apprenticeship program over at the Academy, do it. That was incredibly helpful. I was the TA for calculus for Michael Nicola, who's still there holding down the fort at the Academy. And I love to see him every summer. I've taken a lot of things from him of just basic structures of class and how do you interact with students? And so even if you can't get into say the apprenticeship or you can't do a summer TA opportunity, which look for those as well. I was able to go to Phillips Andover over the summer between my junior year and senior year, which is a very high end, prestigious boarding school. And I got to work with students over the summer on like a six week program. And so just experience in the classroom. So if all those fail, just ask an academy teacher if you can sit in on a couple of their classes. Not for the program, but just because you're interested and you can really observe new things that you can't see. From the student's desk. But watch the teacher, not for necessarily the content, but for what they're doing. Notice where their eyes go, notice where their body goes, and see all the thought that goes into it. And then think to yourself, would that give me life? Is that a thing that I would like to do or is this not from me?

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Yeah, that's interesting. And then I just thought of another question on another interview that we did. It was Elizabeth Mitchell, and she's now a White House correspondent. And she said one of her most influential classes was a grammar class with the Education Department. And she didn't even major in education. Was there a class like that for you that wasn't within your department that you found super helpful? Now.

[Sam Clausen]

That is a really good question. I think the two most influential classes for me that were sort of outside of my course of study would be great books. One, I had Dr. Lindley, and I came into Hillsdale as many Hillsdale students doing well in high school and got A's. And I sat down with the first draft of my first real paper in his class, and he had graded it on argumentation. And I like logic and arguments. I got like an A minus on that. Feeling good. And grammar. I had a good eighth grade grammar teacher, so that was a B plus or A minus. And then he got to voice and he said that I think his words were an F felt kind of harsh. So I gave you a D minus.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Oh my goodness.

[Sam Clausen]

And he was like, you just frankly have no writing voice. And as I look back and even my senior year looked back at my writing, I realized he was being kind and generous. To say I had no writing voice, it was really bad. And so having a class that made me have to learn to speak or write in a way that was not just always, here is the point, here's the evidence, move on. But to say something interesting, to sort of walk around a point for a little bit to think about my word choice properly. And that kind of ties in with. I took the History of the World wars with Doc Connor my senior year. And so was one of the only not history majors in that class. And we had to write a fairly lengthy research paper. And so being proud of that at the end, as I sat in Doc's office again talking about the paper and him going, this is. You could have been a history major. This is really good. Your writing is interesting. You make clear points. But I want to keep reading this. That was just an amazing kind of full circle moment for me. That, wow, all of these classes that made me write, that made me get sharper, were really, really good for me and continue to bear fruit as I give presentations or things like that for the K12 office or just for our community. It's been really helpful.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Wow, that's such a good skill that you have now because of Hillsdale.

[Sam Clausen]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

All right. Well, that's been all the time we've had for today. Thank you so much for joining.

[Sam Clausen]

Thank you so much, Lily.

[Lily Fay Kramer]

Alrighty. This has been beyond the bubble. I'm Lily Faye Kramer, and thank you so much for joining us.