Most students are told to focus more on their education and career rather than on sports. However, for middle school science teacher Daniel Munsey, these two activities go hand in hand. Since he was about seven years old, Munsey boasted an immense interest in sports such as basketball and football, leading him to pursue a teaching career.
“I started coaching basketball and football with some friends,” Munsey said. “I was in a transition phase in college where I was starting to think about changing my major. … [This] got me to think I should go into teaching.”
Munsey joins the Trinity science department this year to teach sixth-grade earth-space science and eighth-grade physical science. Due to his past experiences with students, Munsey is inspired to create relationships and palpable impacts on his students’ lives.
“For me again, it just always goes back to those relationships that I’ve established with students where, years down the road, students reach out to me and talk about the impact that I made on their life, or at least in the classroom,” Munsey said.
He began his teaching career at Saint Jerome Catholic School, where unexpected changes led him down a new path and shaped his future as an educator.
“I originally was supposed to teach math,” Munsey said. “Then they told me that math was no longer available. Then I switched to science, and I absolutely loved teaching [it], and … I didn’t want to teach anything else.”
Since the beginning of his teaching journey, Munsey has strongly emphasized the importance of communication and clear expression, recognizing that students who practice this skill perform significantly better than others.
“Communication is key,” Munsey said. “If you can communicate with me, … then you will do absolutely fine in my class. If you’re not going to communicate with me, … then you’re going to struggle.”
This priority for communication and a sense of kinship contributed to Munsey’s decision to work at a private school rather than a public one.
“It’s [difficult] starting off in the private [sector], going to public and realizing how hard it is to be a teacher in the public sector,” Munsey said. “[I wanted] to make that transition [back] to the private school [sector] where there’s a sense of community.”
Munsey preferred Trinity to other schools in the Orange County area due to its renowned reputation and esteem.
“[While] looking around at some of the private schools, Trinity came up as being one of the highest-rated schools [with] a very good reputation,” Munsey said. “It sparked in my brain [that] … it would be really great to work there.”
Thus far, Trinity has made a phenomenal impression on him and may become his favorite school to date.
“So far, Trinity has highly impressed me … [and] is working its way to be the top contender of schools that I’ve worked at,” Munsey said.
However, Munsey also aspires to make a standing impression on Trinity. Already setting goals, he is ready to climb the department ladder and return to his roots in coaching and athletics.
“[My] short-term goal is to get acclimated to the Trinity lifestyle and get to know all of my students and faculty,” Munsey said. “[My] long-term goal[s] [are] establishing myself as a lead teacher and hopefully eventually getting into coaching [football or basketball].”
While he enjoys spending time working toward his goals during school, Munsey also possesses numerous hobbies outside of teaching.
“Hobbies-wise, [I have] always been big into sports, video games, Marvel, DC, comics [and] Disney,” Munsey said. “[I] play basketball [and] football.”
In addition to these pastimes, Munsey enjoys introducing his son to Disney and Marvel.
“A core memory for me with my son is taking him to Disney for the first time,” Munsey said. “It was really interesting because he was only [about] 10 months old but he was … in awe of everything.”
Munsey is excited to join the ever-growing science department and start his work at Trinity. His passion for teaching continuously drives him to cultivate tangible impacts on his students’ lives through both education and relationships.
“It’s really about the relationships that I’ve made and kids telling me that I’ve made an impact on them,” Munsey said. “Ultimately, I think that’s what matters rather than somebody giving me an award saying that you’re the best teacher.”
