Getting to know: Mr. McGlinchey
Being a special education teacher is very difficult, as you support students with physical, mental, emotional, or learning disabilities and guide them through their school journey, to succeed and build independence. But to be a special education teacher AND a flag football coach?!! Who’s behind all this work? Meet Patrick McGlinchey, one of our newest additions at Oakland Mills High School.
Don’t underestimate this “newbie”, McGlinchey is quite the opposite of that. Patrick McGlinchey has 12 years of experience within teaching, and 24 years coaching! And not just football– McGlinchey has coached for track and wrestling as well. Before arriving at Oakland Mills, Mr. McGlinchey was located at the Eastern shore, where he spent 22 years of his life. He came all the way here because he met a special someone and wanted to be closer to that person. How cute!
At the open house for potential teachers at Oakland Mills, Mr. McGlinchey came forward and was interviewed by a few higher-ups, including Mr. Williams himself! McGlinchey was told that there’s a low chance he would get hired due to all positions being full, but he did not lose doubt. Then came January, when he got hired!
Mr. McGlinchey loves lots of things about our school; including the diversity, students, and structured principle. Back at the Eastern shore, the diversity is significantly smaller, mostly just white or black. It brings joy to McGlinchey to see more races and ethnicities, and students that proudly express themselves for who they are. According to him the students here are very chill and welcoming, easy to get along with. He states that when he taught at the Eastern shore, there wasn’t a very structured set of rules and principals. He appreciates how stable everything is thanks to Mr. Williams and others.
Mr. McGlinchey’s goals for his experience at Oakland Mills High School is to meet as many people as possible, taking his time with progression as a co-teacher and coach, and being the best possible teacher and coach that he can be. Although McGlinchey has coached football for 24 years, he is entirely new to coaching flag football. Working with girls has inspired him and even makes him emotional, as he observes how passionate everyone is with the sport. Along this new path he is even learning more about flag football and what will be best for the team.
As a student, Mr. McGlinchey was once quite popular, before moving to Connecticut. Afterwards, he became pretty shy. An average student as well, getting accepted to 2 colleges and being a straight B kid. From his experience in high school, a piece of advice that McGlinchey wants to give us all is to put in as much effort as possible, no matter how difficult it is, and to ask for help! Advocating for yourself is a sign of maturity, instead of staying clueless and quiet. A message he would like to give to athletics in particular, is that whether you win or lose, you should always strive for perfection. If you continue that cycle, you will soon succeed.
There are a few misconceptions when it comes to special education. One misconception that Mr. McGlinchey would like to address is that it is entirely possible for those enrolled in special education to get a diploma. And to be aware that there are many types of students involved, not just those with neurodevelopmental disorders.
If Mr. McGlinchey was not doing what he does as of right now, he thinks that he would do recruitment/operations for football. Since his dad and brother both coached football, alongside him; he can realistically imagine him doing that. However, McGlinchey states that he would still choose to do teaching and coaching either way, since he is very happy with it.
A few of Mr. McGlinchey’s passions outside of school include fishing, catching up with former students from time to time, and gaming. He overall is a very kindhearted man who wants the best for this school, so we should welcome him with open arms! If you see him, say hello, and welcOMe to the community!
