By Gwynne Ozkan, Hannah Woehrle & Will Shaffer
Focus
Midland HS
1st Place
Division 3, News Writing
Personality Profile
A young man dressed in a yellow Chemic sweatshirt, khaki pants, and goggles sat in the back of the classroom with his hood up. As sixth hour started, students casually walked by, mistaking him for a new student. As the bell rang, they turned around to the words, “Surprise! I’m over here.” Psychology teacher Henry Muller, 22-years-old and in his first year at Midland High School, was no longer blending in with his students.
Muller applied for the open teaching position last spring. He was looking for a position at a well-ranked school in his home state that allowed him to teach strictly psychology. The previous school year, Muller taught eighth grade U.S. History at a charter middle school in central Florida. Although he gained teaching experience, his job was not what he had hoped for.
“After a year of teaching there, I was in search of other jobs,” Muller said.
Candidates nationwide applied for Muller’s position, but after a Skype interview, assistant principal Bob Scurfield formally offered him the job.
“He’s a young teacher, so he doesn’t have the ‘on-the-job’ experience that another teacher might have,” Jaster said, “but he has an impressive academic record, and his discipline of choice- psychology- is something he is very well versed in.”
Muller found the decision to take the position at Midland High an easy one.
“I canceled every other offer because Midland High was by far the best position I applied to and it’s rare to find a job that only teaches psychology,” Muller said. “Teaching has allowed me to do something I’m interested in, which is psychology, while also having a positive impact on the community at the same time.”
Muller attended the University of Michigan (U of M), earning a major in psychology. He took only three years to earn his full credits to graduate in 2015. This was accomplished in part by taking 10 AP courses in high school, and earning credit for all of them. However, if he could do it again, Muller would have preferred not to have graduated so early because he says there is more to college than just classes.
He spent a fourth year in graduate school at U of M as well, earning a degree in educational studies. He was then accepted into the Secondary MAC program, choosing a major in history and a minor in psychology.
This program then allowed him to obtain his master’s in education and a certification to teach.
So far, Muller is very happy with his experience at Midland High. Since the high school he attended lacked school spirit, he says he has been pleasantly surprised by the student body, the faculty, and events that display school pride. He particularly likes football games, traditions like hall marching, and school-wide assemblies.
“In the two months I have been at MHS, I’ve been amazed at how smart and respectful the students are, how involved the parents are, and how welcoming and helpful the staff and administration have been,” Muller said.
Jaster says that it is encouraging how Muller is open to feedback and collaboration. He also believes that Muller’s age allows him to connect better with students, and that it makes him more accustomed to the new methods of teaching, like a higher incorporation of technology.
“Younger teachers have the luxury of being closer in age to their students at the high school level, and with that is an understanding of issues that kids are going through,” Jaster said. “So, he can certainly draw on some of his own personal experiences and use that information to guide the way he teaches.”
Senior Brady Wing agrees that Muller’s age is an asset in his own learning. He emphasizes Muller’s ability to make pop-culture references and his effort relate to his students. Wing says he respects Muller even more-so because of his age. He said that if he were to let Muller down, he would feel like he was letting down not only a teacher, but also a friend.
“We aren’t all that far apart, but he’s still old enough to have that presence of a teacher,” Wing said. “We all respect him because we can relate to him so much. He’s just someone we can turn to.”
Students like Wing have been trying to show Muller what it means to be a Chemic. With that, he feels really welcomed.
“He looks out for us, and that’s why we love him so much.” Wing said.
Muller in turn hopes they learn the content to succeed on the AP/IB tests, though he mainly works to pique their interest in a way that generates their interest in the field.
“If there’s one thing I want to convey, it’s that I enjoy my time here,” Muller said. “The best part of my day is the time I spend in my classroom with my students and that is not something I could say last year.”