As he stands outside of his room, he has a contagious smile and greets each student walking into his classroom. In between students filing into class, he talks about the current situation of the Manchester City soccer team with Mr. Patten from across the hallway. He is then interrupted by one of his students, who is asking him for clarity on a project. He answers the question with enthusiasm. Now, you might be wondering, who is this teacher that brings joy and smiles to the 700s hallway? Dowling students will surely know I am talking about Mr. Spike in room 703! Now, join me as we see what inspires Mr. Spike to be the joyful teacher he is.
Mr. Spike was born on March 12th, 1988, in Des Moines, Iowa, at Mercy Hospital to his parents John and Terri Spike. He has a brother named Nicholas, who is two years younger.
Mr. Spike went to St. Augustin School from Pre-K to 8th grade; then, he attended Dowling Catholic, graduating in 2006. He performed in show choir, participated in musicals, and sang in every choir there was. After high school, Mr. Spike went to Loras College in Dubuque for four and a half years. He majored in World History and Secondary Education, while minoring in Catholic Studies. Initially, he attended college at St. Mary’s for Music Production. He had a good experience there but didn’t feel happy. He had toured Loras during his senior year of high school and joked about going there with his friends. Ultimately, Loras felt like home to him, a safe place where he knew he could grow.
When asked why he chose to study World History, Mr. Spike credits one of his own teachers. While, at first, he didn’t want to become a teacher, but Spike began to take education seriously because of Dowling’s own Mr. Ferguson! Spike loved Ferguson’s passion and energy when teaching here at Dowling. He had a great senior year and loved his teachers a lot, thus igniting his journey to becoming an educator.
During his time in college, he got the chance to study abroad in London in 2009. He interned at The British Museum, the British version of the Smithsonian. Mr. Spike worked in the British and European pre-history department, weighing and categorizing pottery shards. Mr. Spike recalls that they had so many artifacts, they couldn’t put all of them on display. Due to a flexible work schedule, Spike was fortunate to have many opportunities to travel while in Europe. One of those opportunities was seeing a Premier League game (even though he wasn’t a big soccer fan at the time). Mr. Spike and his whole study abroad group also got tickets to see Fulham take on Hull City. He was blessed with the chance to see Clint Dempsey play for Fulham and loved seeing an American thrive in the English Premier League. Oh yeah, and Spike also met his wife while studying abroad!
Mr. Spike met his wife, Amy, while in London. They lived in the same apartment building and had mutual friends, which, in turn, got them to be friends and start dating. Mr. Spike proposed to her on the Union Railroad bridge. They have been married for twelve years and have three children: Kensington (9), Hudson (6), and Eloise (3). Since starting a family, he is the happiest he has ever been.
Since graduating in December of 2010, Mr. Spike has taught at several schools, finally landing at Dowling. He moved back to Des Moines after student teaching at Mazzuchelli Catholic School in the fall of 2010. Mr. Spike got a job here at Dowling in April of 2011, set to start in the fall. While he remembers all of his friends still searching for the “right fit” at their jobs, he knew he had found his: teaching at Dowling is his dream job. He started off as a Religion teacher and initially taught Ecclesiology. You heard me right, he started off as a religion teacher! What inspired him to become a Social Studies teacher? Ever since he was a little kid, he loved history class a lot, so he decided to make the switch to Social Studies. Beginning as a part-time History teacher and part-time Religion teacher, he eventually got to being a full-time social studies teacher and taught Western Civ. as well as U.S. History.
The impact he has gotten from Dowling is that he loves that it is a great place to work and enjoys the interaction with students. He believes that every Dowling student is set for success during and after high school.
Alright, here we go! The fun facts of Mr. Spike we have all been waiting for!
- He feels that watching Ted Lasso is a religious experience
- He sang at the first Papal audience for Pope Benedict the XVI
- He got to hold the Mold Gold Cape, an ancient artifact from the British Bronze Age, while interning in London
- He is a St. Louis Cardinals fan
- His dad is in the Iowa Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame three times
- He was in Newsies, Dowling’s 2024 spring musical, fulfilling his lifelong dream
- He loves his family a lot and wants his kids to be kind
- His favorite animal is the bison
- His favorite movies are The Incredibles, Crazy Stupid Love, and Newsies
- His favorite book series are Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings
Faith is an important part of life for many, and it is what drives Mr. Spike to his greatest. In addition to teaching Religion for ten years, his whole family is Catholic. He used to pray on the way to school and believes in Jesus’ love for us. After going on the Kairos retreat, he learned the prayer of generosity, which was an impactful moment in his life. Kairos got him to understand the ways God loves him. He loves taking time for God and making room for his love and confidence, which Mr. Spike then pours out to his family and students. He pays attention to the prayer at school and knows God has confidence in him to go out and teach the young generation not just History, but also kindness. He believes that praising God begins with something small like one act of kindness. One of Mr. Spike’s favorite quotes is, “Sometimes God comes to us disguised as our life.” He likes this quote because it reminds him that God is everywhere and helps him see the good in the world.
While interviewing Mr. Spike, it was impossible not to take notice of his positive nature. Not once have I ever seen Mr. Spike with a sad face. I love the passion he has when he is teaching, whether I hear him through the walls while walking down the 700s hallway or catch him mid-conversation with Mr. Patten to make sure their lesson plans are good. It’s not easy being a teacher, but the best part is seeing your students succeed, which truly defines Mr. Spike.
Mr. Spike had two concluding quotes for me and the readers. The first: “Be quick to love, make haste to be kind,” taken from Henri-Frederic Amiel. The second: “Let us see what love can do,” first said by St. Frances de Sales. Mr. Spike believes that we must treat people with respect and kindness. “Life is hard, and you never know what people are going through.” He wants his students and kids to know that it’s always good to treat people the way you want to be treated and that kindness goes a long way.
If you ever see Mr. Spike in the halls or standing outside his room, don’t be afraid to say hi. He is a kind, smart, and funny teacher who wants all of his students to succeed no matter what. Also, ask him who his favorite character from Ted Lasso is!
