25 years of Mr. McCarthy
Twenty-five years is a long time. Mr. McCarthy is a 6th-grade science teacher who has been teaching for that long. I interviewed him about what has happened over his 25 years of teaching.
February 20, 2020
What inspired you to teach?
I like to doodle so I wanted to be an art teacher. In college, I decided to become an elementary school teacher. I just so happened to have a science job and I fell in love with it.
What was teaching like 25 years ago?
Instead of a middle school, we were a junior high school, and we didn’t have any teams. There were no computers except in the library and computer lab. Mrs. Lee’s room was where I taught science for a couple of years. We had chalkboards and overhead projectors.
What is your favorite memory from your 25 years at GW?
I like it when students that have graduated come back to school and I hear what achievements they have made. I have a project in which students write letters to themselves, like a time capsule. I like to learn the things I teach, like atoms, molecules, and Issac Newton. I also like to help students open their eyes to the wonders of science.
What do you think has changed the most?
Technology. This year we have Chromebooks. Back when I started, there was no internet at school. After some years, teachers could borrow routers and modems to search up something using dial-up. I may have started the first website for GW.
As you can see, 25 years at GW can really shape what a person is. Mr. McCarthy is a kindhearted science teacher who loves teaching, science and his students.