Leo Murphy, the former Director of the US Navy's Aviation Training School in Pensacola, will fly to Washington DC September 15 to be honored by the Air Force Association as their National Aerospace Teacher of the Year. Murphy, who teaches aviation courses at Choctawhatchee and Crestview High Schools, is the Director of Okaloosa’s CHOICE Aerospace program and the first Florida teacher to earn the title, which the AFA gives each year in memory of Christa McAuliffe.

“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of his caliber teaching our students,” said Jeff Scroggins, Director of CHOICE Institutes and Career Technical Education for the district. “His credentials, experience and personality have made this program a great success. I just spoke to one of his former students and his face just lit up at the mention of the name ‘Murphy.’”

Murphy credits his Choctaw mentors - especially Judy Ring, Judy Kane and Valerie Chubb - with helping him make the transition from teaching Naval officers to teaching high school students. They told him he needed to cut his syllabus down from 15 pages to two and how to use the “Four Corner Defense” to spread out disruptive students. When he mentioned that he was having trouble memorizing all the names, they taught him the trick of putting students in alphabetical order.

“They checked in on me every day and made themselves available to answer questions about all the procedures at the school,” he says. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Murphy quickly learned that high school students do not necessarily turn in their homework assignments. “In the Navy, if someone failed to turn in paperwork, you had several options to ‘motivate’ them,” he laughs.

“Overall, the kids have been absolutely outstanding,” he says. “I tell my new professors that if you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right. Some of my students make me laugh so hard that I have to stop the class. I have a standing wager: if they can make me really laugh – not just a polite ha-ha – I’ll buy them a Coke.”

'Senior Initiative' Leads Students Through Maze of College Application

Murphy also learned that even the brightest students need a lot of guidance when it comes to applying for college. Once he realized that some of his top students failed to apply for college because of all the paperwork, he made it his business to ensure that they at least applied to one college. It required much more checking and prodding than he expected – especially for those who would be the “first generation” to go  – but with a great deal of patience and persistence, he walked his seniors through every step of the process, from transcripts and recommendation letters to filling in the online application and even applying for financial aid.  The first year of his “Senior Initiative,” 13 students were accepted at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, many of them first-generation. Last year, the number rose to 24.

Murphy is pleased that a new agreement is now in effect between Embry-Riddle and Northwest Florida State College. Embry-Riddle has agreed to give credit for many of the courses taught at NWFSC, so that students who cannot afford four years of the private university can complete their first two years at NWFSC and transfer to Embry-Riddle for the last two years of their degree. The admissions officer writes an individual plan for each student, detailing which courses will be accepted. Since the students also receive Embry-Riddle credit for most of the Aviation courses they take during high school, the cost of attending the top-ranked aeronautical university is greatly reduced.

“One of the greatest satisfactions I’ve had is when a student rushes into my office with an acceptance letter from college – something they never thought they could do,” says Murphy.

Scroggins points out that the aerospace industry has been identified as one of the top three industries for Northwest Florida by the Economic Development Council, Workforce Development and Florida's Great Northwest. He underlines the importance of the partnership between the school district and industry. “We know what they are looking for and we have aligned our curriculum to meet their needs. This means our students are becoming extremely marketable,” says Scroggins.

For first-generation college students, no news could be more welcome.
 

(To read the AFA article about Murphy, click here.)