Some MC students were worried about what their Trimester 1 final exams would look like for their math classes.
About two weeks before the Caravan went on Thanksgiving break, Mr. David Milavickas left Mount Carmel to pursue another teaching opportunity. This left an opening for a new Pre-Calculus and Statistics teacher. The administration hired Mr. Jack Murphy who stepped up and guided upperclassmen through their final exams, only having just under a week in the classroom to study with his students.
Not only did Mr. Murphy have to face the challenge of creating a final exam with only teaching students for about a week, but he also faced the challenge of teaching for his first time ever.
“I feel like I’ve been teaching my entire life,” said Mr. Murphy. “Whether it was helping my classmates or younger brothers with homework or studying, I’ve always taught others when it came to school.”
Mr. Murphy grew up in Beverly and attended St. Barnabas elementary school. In the fall of 2012, he had a decision to make regarding where he would be attending high school.
“When I went to Brother Rice, all of my friends went to Mount Carmel,” said Mr. Murphy. “I think I chose to go to Rice because my older brother went there.”
While Brother Rice and Mount Carmel are huge rivals, Mr. Murphy has already seen how the two schools are similar.
“Compared to Mount Carmel, my favorite thing about Brother Rice was the travel,” said Mr. Murphy. “But I could sit down and talk about the differences between these schools all day and just sound nitpicky. They’re a lot more similar than different.”
Mr. Murphy graduated from Brother Rice in 2017 and had his eyes set on majoring in some type of math course in college. While most students apply to a handful of universities nowadays, he took a different approach.
“I looked at my GPA and test scores and decided to just apply to two schools,” said Mr. Murphy. “I applied and got into Purdue University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I can still remember my mom being worried that I only applied to two schools, but I guess it all worked out in the end.”
Mr. Murphy decided to attend U of I and majored in Aerospace Engineering. After graduating, he worked at a company that supplied pumping equipment for the Shedd Aquarium as well as taking on an internship that dealt with 3D modeling. It wasn’t until just recently that the idea of being a teacher presented itself.
“I’m always looking to challenge myself,” said Mr. Murphy. “The environment of teaching at an all-boys school came up and I jumped at the opportunity.”
Mr. Murphy has only been at MC for a few weeks, but something that’s helped him start off his teaching career is being able to relate to his students.
“I obviously remember what it’s like to be in my student’s shoes,” said Mr. Murphy. “I’ve only known these upperclassmen for a short period of time, but I’m already looking out for them. I was a senior not that long ago so I can definitely relate to what they’re going through right now.”
Mr. Murphy’s teaching career has started off on a high note here at MC. While being at an all-boys school might be what he’s focused on right now, Mr. Murphy is still looking to pursue the engineering field and use his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. Questions may come up in the future regarding that, but there’s a more pressing one right now.
Will Mr. Murphy cheer for MC or BR at the upcoming basketball game this season? Guess we’ll have to find out in February.
