the son of a well-known seymour, connecticut teacher, kobasa graduated from seymour high school in 1965, after which he attended fairfield university. he holds master's degrees from yale divinity school and the university of chicago. kobasa taught english at st. thomas aquinas high school in new britain, connecticut, during the 1980s and 1990s. in 1999 he began teaching english at kolbe cathedral high school in bridgeport, connecticut. he gained national attention when, in october 2005, he was fired from kolbe for refusing to display the american flag, the presentation of which he viewed as a "contradiction" to the symbol of the christian crucifix. when his dismissal was reported in the boston globe and other major newspapers, his cause was taken up by a number of political and religious publications. to theologian william t. cavanaugh, kobasa's action was a protest against "idolatry." cavanaugh went on to write: