Mr. Morey

Unlike most Brookside teachers, presiding over a classroom of 10- and 11-year-olds was never his dream. Through most of his twenties, Mr. Morey had no idea what to do with his life. He enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from high school, figuring it would be a waste to attend college without a goal in mind. It wasn’t till he earned his teaching degree at age 31 and took charge of his first classroom that he knew he’d made the right career choice. By the time Marbella and Hydea entered his class, he had developed into one of the school’s top teachers – empathetic but firm, willing to experiment, a savvy employer of technology. His classroom demeanor differed from that of most of his colleagues. Where others were nurturing, he taught accountability. He stayed current by listening to his own children’s music and watching their TV shows. Midway through his career, like many male teachers, he returned to school to pursue a degree in administrative studies. Unlike most, he quit before graduating. His true love, he came to realize, was the classroom – sharing a room with 22 students over the course of a year and teaching. He spent the 2010-11 school year struggling for a way to get through to both Marbella and Hydea.