Now in his fourth year of teaching, Nathaniel Spurgeon joined the Redhawks’ teaching and coaching staff for the 2025–26 school year as an English teacher and basketball coach. He attended UT Arlington and Texas Wesleyan, where he played basketball at both schools, as well as earning a degree in communications and advertising before beginning his teaching career. Wingspan recently caught up with him to learn more about what brought him to teaching, and more about him in general. 

Wingspan: How do you connect literature and writing to students’ everyday lives?

Spurgeon: “That’s a good question. I think every job you’re ever going to have involves some form of writing. Whether you’re a nurse writing reports or working in construction, you need to document what you’re doing. So being able to write well is important in any field.”

Wingspan: What’s your favorite book?

Spurgeon: “I don’t know if I have one favorite. But I think my favorite series to just listen to when I’m driving or have some free time would be the Harry Potter series. They’re fun and easy to get into.”

Wingspan: You also coach basketball. How does coaching affect your teaching?

Spurgeon: “It can be challenging time-wise because both take up a lot of time. It’s almost like having two full-time jobs. But I really enjoy coaching, so I don’t even really consider it work. It’s just something I love to do.”

Wingspan: How do you balance it all? Is there anything special you do?

Spurgeon: “I try to get everything teaching-related done during the day so that the coaching side doesn’t spill over into that. Sometimes it flips around, though. Time management is really important.”

Wingspan: What values do you want your students and players to incorporate in their work?

Spurgeon: “I want them to be hardworking and understand that working hard is actually important. I feel like sometimes that isn’t valued as much as it should be. But it’s a skill that really needs to be developed.”

Wingspan: What’s something students would be surprised to learn about you?

Spurgeon: “That I have hobbies most people would assume are for kids. I play video games and I like to build LEGO sets. That might surprise some of them.”

Wingspan: What do you hope your students remember about you?

Spurgeon: “I hope they remember that I was a kind person who helped them grow and develop, not just academically but as people.”

Wingspan: What are you looking forward to most this year at Redhawk?

Spurgeon: “On the teaching side, I’m excited to get to know different students and teach a variety of people. On the sports side, I’m hoping for a great basketball season and then a strong track season as well.”

Wingspan: That’s cool. Any message you’d like to share with the Redhawk community?

Spurgeon: “Yes, hard work can’t be substituted. If you work hard and do things the right way, good things will happen for you.”

Wingspan: What were you like in high school?

Spurgeon: “Pretty social. I think I’m about the same now. I’d talk to anybody and just go out and do things. I wasn’t shy.”

Wingspan: Would 15-year-old you have expected to be a teacher?

Spurgeon: “Absolutely not.”

Wingspan: Who or what has been the biggest influence in your life?

Spurgeon: “I’d say my faith has been the biggest influence, along with my parents. They’ve shaped a lot of who I am.”

Wingspan: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not coaching or teaching?

Spurgeon: “Spending time with family, for sure.”

Wingspan: If you could have dinner with any author, who would it be and what would you talk about?

Spurgeon: “George Orwell. I’d like to talk about how many of the things he wrote about are semi coming true today.”