Dressed in camouflage, Mr. Jeffery Abernathy stood guard duty in the desert during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Next, he devoted nights to managing workers at Wal-Mart on Rogers Avenue. Now, he teaches Social Studies to seventh graders here.
Before being deployed to Iraq, Mr. Abernathy had served at Fort Stewart, Georgia, and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, as an Army Paralegal Specialist and worked with Judge Advocate General (JAG) lawyers to enforce disciplinary action on soldiers when they violated military law.
Mr. Abernathy’s wife Sara inspired him to become a Social Studies teacher.
“She believed that I could do great things and encouraged me to go for something that I wanted to do,” Mr. Abernathy said. “There is no way that I would have ever been able to chase this dream without her encouragement and believing in me.”
After one day of his internship with Mrs. Campbell here, Mr. Abernathy knew this was the school he wanted to teach in for the rest of his life.
“The administration is supportive and has created a place where I absolutely love to come to every day and work,” Mr. Abernathy said. “The teachers foster a community that more resembles a family than a workplace, all working together for the common goal. But the best thing about Kimmons are the students because they make teaching fun and rewarding.”
Adjusting to a new sleeping schedule after working nights for fifteen years has been Mr. Abernathy’s biggest challenge as a teacher.
“I was used to sleeping during school hours,” Mr. Abernathy said. “Other than that, learning about robotics so I could coach the Lego robotics team was the most challenging experience.”
Most people are surprised to find out that Mr. Abernathy has written a Christian fiction novel called Order of the 66.
“I’m in the late stages of publishing it now through Amazon,” Mr. Abernathy said. “It’s taken me twice as long to edit and publish as it did to write.”
Outside of school, Mr. Abernathy enjoys playing video games with his kids and watching movies with his wife.
“However, my favorite thing to do is preach because I’ve seen how it can impact people’s lives,” Mr. Abernathy said. “Until this past winter, I’ve been a pastor of a small church about an hour from here. I believe I have a calling and have been gifted with a talent for public speaking and communication. It would feel disrespectful and a waste to not use it. Also, studying, meditating, and praying is a great time for personal growth for myself.”
