Dual Enrollment Educator Spotlight: Paul Callahan
After four years of teaching dual enrollment with UNO, Paul Callahan sees his role as more than just preparing students for college coursework—he’s preparing them for college life itself.
In pursuit of working alongside his wife, Callahan, a former French teacher, transferred to Benson, where he completed his ELA endorsement and earned a Master of Arts in English. He now teaches Genre Studies 1010 and 1020, both dual enrollment English courses through UNO. In this role, he quickly recognized the key differences between traditional high school classes and college-level coursework.
"The focus shifts from receiving knowledge in high school to curating and creating it," Callahan explains. "We’re not doing cutting-edge nuclear fission research in my classroom, but we practice the models and standards of academic writing so that when these students produce new insights in their future fields, they’ll be ready to share them."
Callahan views the semester as a marathon, not a sprint, emphasizing the drafting process and reading stamina. Above all, he believes his courses serve as a gateway to inquiry. Students enroll for different reasons—whether for social connections, financial savings, or to fast-track their degrees—but regardless of their motivation, he finds joy in watching them discover a passion for learning. “I’ll trick a kid into learning,” he says. No hesitation.”
Callahan’s principles lay the foundation for both education and adulthood. “Conscientiousness, curiosity, energy, empathy, and attention to detail are my top five,” he says. “I’m still working on most of these, but I’ll get there.” Through dual enrollment, students take a step forward, developing skills that last far beyond the classroom.
