Rich McCoy is a returner to JHS. He taught at JHS for over thirty years and is a substitute for one of the teachers here at JHS. Many people always ask what the inspiration for becoming a teacher is. Well, for McCoy, his family had a number of teachers throughout. He looked up to them and recognized the honor and purpose that this specific profession provides. He also had a few teachers in his past that he greatly admired that also helped inspire him to take up this profession. McCoy seems to enjoy interacting with the younger people. He says, “It has kept me ‘younger’ than some of my non-teacher friends.”

Many teachers will sometimes say they wish they could go back and change their major. However, McCoy does not wish that he could go back and change his major from teaching, but he would go back to complete his master’s degree.

Not many students really know their teacher besides what they have learned in class. Teachers can have all sorts of hobbies other than teaching. McCoy has a deep passion for theater. McCoy has been involved in many community theaters throughout Central Illinois for over forty or so years. After his retirement from teaching, he started Playhouse on the Square in Jacksonville.

McCoy teaches history at the moment, but he taught English for most of his career. Many English and history teachers seem to enjoy reading. So, what would some of their favorite books even be? Well, for McCoy it is the book called Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. He describes it as a “sprawling saga of the Old West, told in McMurtry’s unique style.” Aside from his favorite, let’s go back to his high school days! Teachers always seem to ask at the beginning of the year what their students’ favorite class is, but the students never really know what their teachers’ favorite class in high school was. McCoy says his favorite class was a speech class taught by Ms. Grinkey. He said, “It tested my poise and manner.”

Every teacher has his or her own philosophies or expectations for teaching. McCoy has three specific philosophies: 1.) Study the students. Find out what can make each one “tick” and recognize when they need a break from the current content. 2.) Do not make yourself, the teacher, the focus of the classroom. The teachers are there to facilitate the learning, not necessarily preach or “teach” continually to the students. 3.) If one of the students is reading, whether it be less educational or completely educational, you are already halfway there.