30 Years Of Teaching

Mr. Moynihan is celebrating 30 years of teaching this school year! He is a teacher most students get to know very well; he always finds opportunities to share informative stories of various things he has experienced in his life. However, there is still a lot to learn about him. Like how he got his job at Jemicy, where else in the world he has lived, or even his experience teaching in a prison. There is so much to share about Mr. Moynihan who now has 30 years of experience.

“Being a foster kid, and all that comes with that, gives me a strong level of empathy for kids, especially students who are dealing with some struggle,” Mr. Moynihan told me. He wants to have a classroom where students can feel comfortable. “Whether it’s academic challenges or personal, I think that growing up in that situation gives me a better understanding.” Mr. Moynihan provides an excellent environment in his classroom, including plants, posters, pictures, and even some printed quotes. One poster in his room has a quote written by Nelson Mandela, which reads, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Mr. Moynihan cares about his students and wants to provide the best space possible for them.

When asked how he found Jemicy, he said, “I wasn’t looking.” His friend Eric Cole, the former Dean of Students at the lower middle school (LMS), reached out because the LMS was looking for a teacher. It was during the first year of COVID, and Mr. Moynihan said he would do it. He was then asked to be a long-term sub for history. He had an interview with Michael Robinson at the Lower Middle School and got the job. However, because of COVID, he wasn’t comfortable coming back to the classroom just yet, and he never ended up teaching at the lower school. When they needed a history teacher at the upper school, Mrs. Heard and Mr. Palmerino called Mr.Robinson and asked if they had anyone. He said they had a sub, and Mr. Moynihan ended up talking with the upper school and got his current job.

He has had a long career in the classroom. He shared that he taught for “two years in a prison, which was not fun, a juvenile prison.” Then six years in Baltimore county and 19 years in Howard county. Then he retired from public school and shortly after that started teaching at Jemicy. When you include his now three years at Jemicy, teaching world history, health, and personal finance, it totals an astounding 30 years of teaching.

He talked about the vast difference between Jemicy and the other schools he worked at. He said he likes the environment here at Jemicy. “Kids with learning differences, whether intellectual or physical, in a public school don’t get support. They don’t get the right direct care that Jemicy provides.” He added, “the workload is a lower number, so I can concentrate on my students better and get to know them individually. It’s a better learning environment for students, so it’s a better teaching environment for me.” He said, “While the drop schedule was hard to get used to,” especially since he had never had anything like it before, “it’s different, but it’s part of the job.” When we discussed what he likes about the school, he shared, “The drive is not too bad, and the staff is amazing.” He shared that public school is a lot more paperwork and less interaction with students; he much prefers to interact with his students, he said, “it’s why I want to teach, to reach kids.” He had 125 students in public school, while at Jemicy, he has closer to 50, so it’s much easier for him to get to know his students.

Outside of his teaching career, Mr. Moynihan has had a wide variety of experiences. Being in the military, he traveled the world and lived in Japan for three years. He enjoyed seeing how other cultures are. Also, learning that “while America is a great nation, it’s not the only nation; there’s a lot of other cultures and ways to do things in the world.” The military gave him the chance to travel and have those experiences.

Mr. Moynihan loves to read in his free time, “just sit and read,” he said. He also likes to travel; he went to 8 different countries in the summer of 2022 with his wife; watching movies is also a favorite, and he occasionally plays golf. His favorite time of year is fall, he, “Loves the smell of fall.. the air gets crisper… the morning is colder, and the air feels fresh,” he added, “the leaves start to fall, the sounds of leaves, it’s just great.” He has a goal to travel to South America and Australia.

He ended our discussion by saying, “I’ve had a really good life.”