By Juan Villanueva |
Waking up in Andrew McBurney’s shoes is simple, as long as there’s morning coffee, and some days, all-day coffee. Always being determined, open-minded and patient, life has always been both ideal and different for him.
Spending his childhood here in San Antonio, he lived life to the fullest, never missing out on fun. On occasions, McBurney went on road trips with friends he made in high school, whom to him are friends for life and often enjoyed the history of the time.
“Growing up was ideal, great neighborhood, and had a lot of friends in high school,” McBurney said.“The 1980s were a pretty good time. San Antonio was growing, we got to see the Berlin Wall come down and the end of the Cold War, so it was an exciting time.”
And with growing up, began McBurney’s realization of his love for politics and the importance to have his voice heard.
“I’ve just always felt strongly about how important our country is and how important it is for we the people to be actively involved,” he said.
Now, after 20 years of teaching, the MacArthur graduate considers himself a long life student having learned many things about himself and his students throughout the years.
“They’re why I do this job, they are the reason I’m here,” McBurney said.
One thing McBurney has learned about himself is a special characteristic. McBurney says he has a super power, which makes him different from other teachers.
“I can put people to sleep with just the sound of my voice,” he said. “I try to not use my super power too often.”
Although McBurney also enjoys finding how things work and would be a theoretical physicist in another life, he will always be satisfied as he now has achieved one of his goals through teaching, which is to help his students understand the significance of learning.
“Mr. McBurney has taught me the value of learning in which we must try our best,” senior Adriana Padgett said. “To never be afraid of asking questions and being wrong about them.”
