This month, the Teacher of the Month award is rightfully bestowed upon Mr. Moody. From his fascinating teaching philosophy to his involvement with students in and out of the classroom, Mr. Moody has more than earned this title.  

Students who have Mr. Moody tend to thoroughly enjoy not only his class but him as a person. Junior Hallie Schwartzman exclaims, “He’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. He manages to make everything entertaining and fun, and can always get a laugh out of me, in both class and advisory.” Morgan Shmalo agrees and adds, “ I think he really cares about his students.” Mr. Moody’s love for his students and job comes through clearly in his teaching philosophy: “I don’t teach math, I teach students, I teach people. I take pride in the fact that I think when kids leave here, they know more than they did when they first entered my classroom, and I hope they enjoyed themselves while they were here.”

Mr. Moody is not only a golf coach at our school, but he also used to coach varsity basketball. He explains that part of the reason he wanted to go into teaching was to be able to coach. “My experience with my college coach was just so positive and he was such a positive influence on me. I learned so much about myself through him, and he’s still an important part of my life to this day. You try to carry out some of those philosophies about having a personality, making people feel special, letting them know they’re doing stuff right. When I try to model those things in coaching, I also try to model them in the classroom.”

Mr. Moody created the “Club 100” to motivate students to get higher quiz and test scores. Whenever a student receives a 100 on a test or quiz he allows them to take a picture and tape it onto his wall. He shares, “The idea came from looking at all these restaurants that take pictures of people who eat really spicy food or large quantities of food, and put them on the wall almost memorializing them.” Students take this opportunity of memorialization to get creative. Looking at this wall of smiling kids, Mr. Moody’s care and passion for his students is clearly reflected.