Eastern Christian School Welcomes Joe Lee

Eastern Christian School welcomes Joe Lee as a high school business teacher. Joe is an experienced entrepreneur and business owner who brings real-world experience to his students and classes.

Please tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Leonia, NJ in a family of five with my two wonderful parents, a younger brother, and a younger sister. I grew up playing baseball and still play today, although I am taking a temporary break since I had my daughter. I also ran track in high school and ran the 400-meter and 100-meter sprints (sub 50 and sub 11 for my fellow sprinters). I became a Mets fan as a kid after watching Mike Piazza make one of the most amazing foul catches behind home plate, and it has been years of character building ever since. Whenever I have free time, I enjoy watching a good action/fantasy movie and I secretly hope my daughter grows to love them too, since my wife doesn’t share my enthusiasm. My favorite movie is Lord of the Rings: Two Towers. My favorite hymn currently is ‘Be Thou My Vision’ and my wife and I sing this to our daughter every night!

Tell the story of how you got to EC.

Ever since I was young, I loved science and dreamed of becoming a doctor. That passion led me to attend a science academy before earning my bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Drew University. I later attended medical school at Ross University School of Medicine, where I completed two years before taking a break to pursue a business opportunity with my brother. What I thought would be a temporary detour became the path God had planned for me, and I have since built and operated multiple businesses.

Looking back, I can see that both business and teaching have always been part of my life. I grew up in a family of small business owners, spending countless hours working in my parents’ stores and learning firsthand what it takes to run a business. At the same time, I discovered a love for teaching while I was in high school. What began as tutoring for some extra spending money quickly grew into tutoring three to five hours a day after school and on weekends, seven days a week. During college, I served as a resident assistant during the school year and as a counselor and professor’s aide for the Governor’s School program in the summer, where I worked with high school students. Before medical school, I spent a gap year tutoring full time, teaching chemistry, biology, physics, and SAT math.

Although I always enjoyed teaching, I assumed that chapter of my life had closed once I chose the business path. However, as my wife and I began thinking about the kind of Christ-centered education we wanted for our daughter, God began placing Christian education on my heart. When the opportunity to teach entrepreneurship at Eastern Christian opened, it felt like the perfect combination of everything He had been preparing me for. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of a community that is committed to a Christ-centered education.

What sets EC apart?

What sets Eastern Christian apart is its unwavering commitment to a biblical foundation. Its mission, education and community is founded on the Reformed Christian faith and doctrine.

I believe a Christ-centered education gives students something that no other education can: an eternal purpose for learning. Knowledge is from God, and is pleasant to the soul (Proverbs 2). Rather than pursuing knowledge simply for academic achievement or future careers, a biblical education teaches students to see learning as a way of knowing God more deeply through His creation and using the gifts He has given them to serve others. Because of this, biblical education demands excellence and encourages students to be their best in their pursuit. I believe this instills in them not only to be the best as students but molds them into young men and women of faith, character, and wisdom so that they may be the best in their careers.