Being mindful of his Father’s Business
Unscripted
By Keith Edmonds
Ink Spot Contributing Writer
“God is keeping an eye on you, and he expects you to honor him by setting good examples for others to follow…”
~Psalm 102:19
The scripture reference above describes the mission of my guest in todays UNSCRIPTED. Kenn Causey is a man that has stood the test of time as an educator, (37 years) a coach, (football & basketball for over 35 years) and has even thrown in coaching soccer (12 years) at FWCS. He is a pastor, and father as well, but to me what stands above everything when I speak of Coach, is that he is genuinely one of the truest men that I’ve ever met. He wears each of his hats like the CROWN that it resembles because of the dignity he brings to each aspect of his life.
In today’s UNSCRIPTED I will briefly share Kenn Causey’s amazing journey and give you some insight as to what makes him the passionate, and driven person that he is. I am honored to introduce to you Coach Kenn Causey.
UNSCRIPTED: Coach, thank you for agreeing to be a part of this piece!
CAUSEY: “Well, thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here and a part of your interviews. I have read many of your stories and admired you from afar for the work that you’ve done!”
UNSCRIPTED: Coach, let’s just jump right in. You’ve been an educator/coach for a very long time. I have to ask, What made you choose education as your chosen career?
CAUSEY: My goal coming out of college (Ball State) was to coach, being a sports enthusiast that was my intentions initially. I’d played football, basketball and baseball growing up, so to me having the opportunity to coach was something that I always wanted to do. Once I got into my first teaching position at Northrop HS, then I moved to Lakeside Middle School, I started to realize that I have such a penchant for kids that education became more of a passion than coaching, it really was a “godsend” for me and after over 35 years this decision has blessed me in more ways than I’d imagined!”
UNSCRIPTED: So, tell me, what do you attribute your longevity as an educator/coach to?
CAUSEY: “I truly feel that my passion for young people and having the ability to build lasting, friendships and relationships is what has allowed me to sustain, every high, low and everything in between during these years. The students that I’ve had the opportunity to teach and coach, and the tremendous people that I’ve met along the way (including yourself) is what gets me up each morning to come to work knowing that I have a job to do daily which is to pour into young people what was given to me. Young people are authentic, they’re real, and I like the fact that they will not hide their true feelings about you, good or bad (lol). I’ve accepted this assignment to be a teacher and I haven’t looked back. It’s really neat being in education in that I’ve had 2nd generation kids in my classes (kids of former students) and that’s what makes it special for me!”
UNSCRIPTED: Coach, let’s take a look at where education is now, as opposed to when you started. Have things drastically changed, gotten better or worse in your opinion?
CAUSEY: “Education is cyclical. What I mean by that is, those that make the big educational decisions for us nationally or state-wise try different approaches and different strategies in an attempt to be on the cutting-edge of new methods or innovative ways to instruct young people, following the data (let’s say). They’ll try these concepts or techniques for a couple of years and then move to another theory which is called by another name but ends up being a concept or idea that we’ve previously done or tried in years past. I don’t feel that education is in trouble it just borrows from itself. Hopefully, the young teachers coming in won’t be so infatuated with “subject matter” and neglect “relationship building” as they teach and work with young people. You can help kids get a better “test score” or fill them with information, but that should never take the place of how you make a child “feel” daily. That’s what most important to me.”
UNSCRIPTED: Let’s take a turn in this discussion and talk about all of the remarkable things that you’ve accomplished as a coach and your relationship Steve Somers. Reflect on that for a moment if you will…
CAUSEY: “Well, let me take a moment to talk about Steve Somers first whom I’ve been connected to for over 35 years as coaches and friends. He’s been a tremendous friend, support system, role model, and a person that I have a profound respect for. In terms of coaching and the successes we’ve had (which have been so many) we both realize that we’ve been fortunate to be placed as “gatekeepers” for the young people that we’ve coached, and I thank God that he’s allowed me this platform to encourage, motivate, and drive young people to championship successes and it’s been awesome to share that with Steve Somers.”
UNSCRIPTED: Coach, I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up how important your faith as well as having a supportive wife is in having a successful career. Share your heart with me on these 2 very important aspects of your life?
CAUSEY: “My relationship with Jesus Christ is something that means the world to me. After my teaching career ends, I look forward to devoting more time to the ministry and what God has for me. This is made possible by having my wife Donna and our family as the impetus to transition from one area to another. My family has been there for me and as you know, any success that I have encountered in my career can directly attributed to her devotion to me and the passions that I share for life with her as a constant. I am extremely blessed, and when I look back at my career, I’ll know that the decision to teach was the best decision that I could have made.”