Damon Mollenkopf
What if the time kids spent in my class were the best 45 minutes of their day?
MISSION STATEMENT
I believe that kids want to learn, are capable of learning, and learn constantly as a natural process. My mission is to create an environment of mutual respect that celebrates the learning process, instills self-sufficiency, inspires curiosity, honors differences, and prepares all students for life after our classroom.
PHILOSOPHY
Our students will be entering a different world than students just twenty years ago. We need not look beyond our own backyard to confirm it. No community is immune to the integration of technology into our everyday lives, the shifting job opportunities that present themselves, and the speed at which change occurs.
If the primary responsibility of schools is to prepare our students for the future, we must change along with society. Since change is the only constant, students must be prepared to thrive in a world of change. The future will belong to those who can think on their feet, those who can address and solve unforeseen and often unpredictable problems in creative ways, and those who do not give up in the face of adversity.
I want to encourage students to read, talk, be curious, take risks, learn from their mistakes, be empathetic, think critically, be creative, and play.
Why I Teach
What gets me up everyday - the stuff I can't wait to do, the stuff I'm passionate about: singing, performing, playing music, thinking about the way I think and having opinions, thinking about how I interrelate with the world around me - I learned in public school.
I don't want to teach you. I want to invest in you. If I invest in you, at the end of the day when you get married and have your first kid, you'll text or direct message me and say, "Mr. Mo, I just had my first kid!" That's an investment. That's what teaching is: not caring more about the subject you teach than the subjects you teach.
I go into school every day, excited: to see the kids; to ask them how their recital went; to see if their mom is feeling better; to sing "Happy Birthday" to them; to laugh; to get off-topic and stay there because their questions are more interesting; to make sure they're doing well in their other classes; to help them connect history to their lives; to inspire the same sense of wonder and weight I felt when I began my journey.
Not That You Asked, But...
