Alex Moya teaches history.

Where did you teach before coming to St. John’s?

I taught in Micronesia for a year and then in Mexico for the last five years. I also taught online students in China. Every country has its own challenges and rewards. I was in Mexico for the longest time, and I really liked seeing ancient cathedrals and hidden sites that most tourists don’t know about. Micronesia was kind of a paradise itself. Just being on a tiny island is a different experience. 

How did you decide to come teach at St John’s? 

I had been looking to teach in the U.S. for some time, and now that I have some skills as a teacher, I feel more comfortable in this role. The students here take the subjects pretty seriously and are dedicated and hardworking. I like that because it allows me to go into more depth in my subjects.

What is your favorite type of history to teach?

I like world history because there’s so many different regions to talk about. It’s kind of fun to make connections and point out the patterns and the themes that are happening in different places or at different times. I also like to shock students and show them that the things that happened in the distant past are not so different from how we are today. I think a lot of students assume that we have progressed and we’re somehow better in the modern world, but maybe we’re worse in some ways or not that different from our ancient predecessors.