By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The Coaches in the Classroom feature is a weekly series that spotlights and celebrates coaches throughout Portage County, who spend their days in the classrooms and hallways leading today’s student-athletes to be tomorrow’s leaders.

Today’s spotlight is on Mogadore High School track and field coach Ann Murphy, who is a 7th Grade Science teacher at Green Middle School.

• Hometown: Doylestown, Ohio. I graduated from Chippewa High School, but I have lived in Mogadore for 28 years.
• School District: I teach 7th Grade Science at Green Middle School.
• How long have you taught there?: My first year teaching was in Wayne County with Norwayne’s Elementary School, but I have spent the next 33 years at Green Middle School.
  

  Mogadore High School track and field coach and Green Middle School teacher Ann Murphy.

• Classes taught?: I taught 4th Grade my first year. I taught 5th Grade in Green for two years, and I have been in 7th Grade for 31 years.
• What made you want to become an educator?: I think I have always wanted to be a teacher since I was little and playing school in my basement. I went to Baldwin Wallace to be an international business major. I worked as a camp counselor in the Pocono Mountains for two summers in college and realized I would not be happy if I was not working with kids so I switched my major to education.
• What is your favorite part of your job?: My favorite part of my job is working with my husband every day. We both teach 7th Grade science and our rooms have been connected for over 25 years. We love coaching and teaching together. I also enjoy working with my best friends.
• What have you learned about being an educator that you didn’t know before you started?: In my early years of teaching, I thought that what was fair for one was fair for all. I have really changed my thoughts about this, especially after having children of my own. So many kids have unfortunate circumstances and living situations that just don’t seem fair to me. Many children have two educated parents at home with so much support, but there are several students that don’t have either parent at home. They have little to no support with their school work and basic necessities. These kids cannot help their situations. I just don’t think that it is fair to expect some of the same things from them that we expect from others.
• Which teachers influenced you to go into education?: My dad was a principal, coach and teacher, but my mom has always been the biggest influence in my life. My mom is my hero. She showed me how to treat others, listen to them, be a leader, stick up for the weak and be a strong, confident young woman. I think my mom always knew I would someday be a teacher and a coach. 
• How do you apply some of your coaching to the classroom?: I try to push my students to do their best. I talk to them a lot about being a coach. I tell them that they can do anything if they truly put their mind to it. If you want to be a good foul shooter, then you have to practice a lot of foul shots. Some people may have a natural athletic ability to shoot foul shots and they may not have to work as hard at them, but learning and school can be difficult. The same goes for studying for a test. For some students, school comes very easy for them. They are able to read it once and remember it. However, for others, they need to work at it (or practice) a lot more to understand the material. Both situations can be obtained if you just put your mind to it and figure out your own way. You can be a good foul shooter if you practice enough. Everyone is capable of learning if you find a way that works for you and you spend enough time practicing it.
• How do you apply some of your classroom to your coaching?: I think the answer above is interchangeable with this question. I do try to incorporate humor in both my classroom and my coaching. Through humor I am able to connect with my athletes and my students.
• Funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a classroom?: Oh my… there are so many. I have done so many embarrassing things throughout my career. In my first year teaching, I was playing kickball with my students and I ripped the entire back of my dress from the slit of my dress to my hips kicking a ball at recess. I had many, many more things like that happen throughout the years. I just learned early on to laugh at myself.
• Mentors in your building who have helped you along the way?: I was hired by Rusty Chaboudy 32 years ago. He was our assistant principal at the time and then later became our principal.  The culture that he built with his staff was so contagious. He just had a way of making everyone around him feel valued and important. He could get any teacher to volunteer for him because of how he treated all of us. He was a great leader. He truly cared about us and our families. Our staff became a family unit that I will never forget. He was also very, very funny.  We enjoyed working for him. He made our school so fun that the kids did not want to miss school because it was fun to be there. I would also say my best friends, Jody Riedl, Tracy Price-Schaefer, Shelly Ziesenheim, Rachel Boyle and Michael Lazor have been friends, colleagues, mentors and confidants throughout my career. They have been there for me the past 34 years for the ups and downs in my career and my personal life.