Over a span of five years, The Morgan School has seen a decrease in enrollment of 15%, losing more than 80 students during that time. That decrease has meant the loss of several teachers over the years. This year, Morgan will lose another teacher due to the decline in student population, which is why we will not see Mr. Moran next year from the math department.
Finishing his second year, Mr. Moran is the newest addition to the math department, meaning that, as per union contract rules, he is the first to go.
“They told me that right now there are six math teachers, and there just really isn’t a need for six math teachers in a school this size. As the newest math teacher, I was the first asked to go. That’s really the simplest explanation of it… There’s not a demand for me in this school anymore,” Mr. Moran said.
Many schools around us have a student-teacher ratio of 12-1, for example, Daniel Hand High School, while the Morgan
School has a ratio of 10-1, with way fewer kids per teacher hired. This means that for many schools around us, the average class size is 17-21, while ours is 16.
Although Moran is new to Morgan, he is not new to teaching. Before The Morgan School, Mr. Moran worked at a boarding school called The Grove School, located in Madison, CT. Mr. Moran taught at the Grove School for a little more than three years, working all year round, including summer. He lived on campus, was a teacher during the day, and then after school, he’d take them on walks, eat dinner, or even go watch a movie.
To get even more experience with children, Mr. Moran was at the Deer Lake Day Camp, helping and teaching kids to get used to their surroundings. “I was working with kids a lot. I did a lot of work at this day camp in Killingworth, the Deer Lake Day Camp. And so I thought that it would be a good way to work with kids but also be able to do a lot of speaking for them, and I just liked the math too. I don’t know. Math is something that I would enjoy doing in high school.” Mr. Moran stated.
Mr. Moran didn’t always know he wanted to be in the teaching department, but by high school, he made the decision. “In high school, I kind of made that decision. I thought that it’d be something that I would be good at. I enjoyed presentations in class and speaking in front of people. It was like something I was comfortable doing, and I was working with kids a lot,” Mr. Moran stated.
Mr. Moran loves working with kids, and he is a teacher who not only worries about learning but also helps kids with other problems outside of school or personal life. “I like the building relationships part. I don’t make it look like it because we’re always focused on math in class, but the part I like the most is definitely getting to know you guys and hearing, like, I just got my license today, or I just got my job. It’s cool to hear you guys doing things and being people and growing,” said Mr.Moran.
Since the day Mr. Moran arrived at Morgan, he has always felt like a part of the community. He was always active in clubs and sports, and always felt like he fit in. “It is a bummer because I liked being a part of the wrestling team, and I liked doing the clubs, and I liked living in town. And so it felt like I was a part of the town community. You will still probably see me at Big Y or Stop & Shop. So it might be a little awkward that I’m not in this building anymore,” Mr. Moran stated
Although Mr. Moran might not be in the school system anymore, there is a possibility Mr. Moran might still be part of the wrestling team. “I might do wrestling next year. If I’m in town and it works for my schedule. I don’t see why I wouldn’t. I think it’d be fun.”
Mr. Moran is bummed out that he has to go from The Morgan School, and that he didn’t have a say in what was going to be done, but he understood the decision and knew all along that this might not be the place for him.
“No, it was not my decision. They weren’t like, what do you think? Or would you mind leaving? It was like, we’re not going to have you here next year. Which I don’t know. Again, was bitter sweet because there was a part of me in my brain that was like, maybe, this isn’t exactly my perfect match. That’s why I’m not so gung-ho on definitely going to get another math teaching position somewhere. I think that I kind of do want to see what else is new. Is there something that fits a little bit better, that feels a little bit more right? But I definitely enjoyed my time here,” Mr. Moran stated.
