Changes happen all the time and they occur all around us. In nature, you watch trees grow, caterpillars turn into butterflies and new people enter into unfamiliar places. This term, students experienced a major change as LCHS got a new business teacher this second semester of the year! Mr. Murphy joined the Panther family and is excited to share real-world experiences with his students.
But, there’s a twist; Mr. Murphy has no previous teaching experience. He has a background in banking, a degree in general management, and a minor in entrepreneurship. Mr. Murphy’s journey into education has been influenced by his own positive experiences as a student. His time at the University of Tennessee in a small class setting sparked his passion for teaching, something he has continued to pursue since graduating.
“So, I had a semester at the University of Tennessee where I was in a small class. It was about 30 of us, way different than the engineering program I had been in where we had like 400 in a class. I had the ability to talk with my professor. I got to know them, they got to know me. It really started my love for education. Ever since attending TN Wesleyan to finish my business degree alongside that small environment, I’ve been trying to get into education ever since I graduated,” Murphy said.
Mr. Murphy’s background in banking also shapes his approach to teaching finance. He believes that understanding credit and funding opportunities is vital for students, both in business and in life. Given his love for the real world with his teaching, he also holds strong opinions about DECA offered at the school.
“Obviously with my banking background, I think any kind of finance and learning how credit works is very important in business. Learning how to fund your opportunities is a very important aspect of business that a lot of people don’t really understand. Hopefully, I can secure some knowledge in a sustainable way with students. I was a member of DECA in my high school. We’ve got four students going to State in February. We’re working hard to get it all together for them. Just learning about ‘how can you apply school to real-world business?’ That’s kind of the bottom line of what DECA does and I feel like it’s really important to business education,” Murphy said.
So, what does this mean for the school store? LCHS had a school store in which you could purchase a range of goods, from foods, drinks, panther apparel, and tumblers. However, policies enacted in the school caused an abrupt shutdown, leaving quite a few students crestfallen.
“Every business is going to face some sort of adversity at some point. I had experience with this working at a small mom-and-pop shop through COVID. We had to shut down for a bit. There were people who would check on us and still wanted to buy stuff, and I’ve seen that with students even. So, during this time, we can still see the interest in the store and hopefully we’ll be able to come back better than ever,” Murphy said.
Mr. Murphy has shown to be off to a great start as the second semester begins. Students have noted to feel very engaged in his classes and enjoy the loose reign he gives to the students so they can get a sense of physical world work. Those around him are excited to see how he’ll continue to inspire, contribute, and learn as the school year continues.
