Secondary Teacher
Joseph Murphy
Launch the media gallery 1 playerJoseph Murphy, or as most people in Chilhowee know him as “Coach Murphy,” has been educating young people for many years. Mr. Murphy’s teaching experiences have been focused in the subject area of physical education, but he is more, he is a teacher and coach that his students and athletes look up to as a role model and an educator that his fellow colleagues aspire to be.
Coach Murphy grew up in Chilhowee and is a product of the Chilhowee School District. Joe has taught in a few larger school districts and has even coached at the college level, but he remains at Chilhowee because of the investment he has made with his students. As his colleagues and fellow coaches would say, “Joe Murphy is the one of, if not the best coach in Johnson County.”
It is pretty unanimous amongst the students, that they love Coach Murphy. He sets high expectations for his physical education classes and students know what to do from the moment they enter the gym to the moment they leave the gym. He creates engaging games and activities that students go back to their classes talking about. He works to instill lifetime health values into their everyday lives. He also brings awesome programs in, like a nutritionist and a self-defense instruction. When Joe first began his duties as a physical education instructor, the district had received a PEP grant which he took over as the lead implementer. Through the grant funding, Coach Murphy was able to purchase numerous pieces of physical education equipment, put together a new weight room, bring physical education and technology into the classroom, and bring fitness activities to the Chilhowee community. Although the grant has ended, Joe still uses its framework to support students, staff and the community.
A natural board leader/educator who believes in setting the bar high with attainable, yet challenging goals, not being afraid of change and making all those around him better, make it appropriate to congratulate Joe Murphy as Missouri’s Outstanding Rural Secondary Teacher for the 2015-2016 school year.