From mouse ears to eagle wings-The Story of GlenOak’s New Math Substitute Teacher

Just as Kuzco got a new groove, GlenOak has recently gained a new teacher. This new teacher came in the form of Alexander McDaniel. 

McDaniel the long term substitute teacher filling in for math teacher Alyssia Kobasic. Kobasic went on maternity leave in November, and McDaniel started his tenure at GlenOak in December.

McDaniel attended Marlington High School, and is a graduate of the University of Akron. In fact, McDaniel even donned the fur and jersey of Akron’s mascot, Zippy. This provided him with the opportunity to travel across the nation with the team, and also allowed him to be considered a D-1 athlete.

McDaniel would later use the skills he learned from being Zippy when he adorned himself with the over-sized shoes and green hat of Disney’s famous dog, Goofy. From January of 2020 to the incursion of the Coronavirus in March, McDaniel worked as a character performer at Walt Disney World, playing America’s sweetheart, Goofy Goof. He was also part of the Disney College Program. In order to gain this beloved and sought after role, McDaniel had to undergo a rigorous audition process.

“I had to go to an audition in Columbus, there was about 180 people there, and it was all variety of people, male female different heights, we went through the first process, which was a short choreographed march,” McDaniel said. “Then if I made that cut, I moved onto an animation, and then after that was a two minute choreographed dance that I had to do, and then they took measurements if they were interested after that.”

McDaniel looks back fondly on his time at the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” getting the opportunity to bring children joy.

“It was just awesome making kids happy and making them smile,” McDaniel said. “It was very hot and sweaty in there, but it was a really good time.”

McDaniel was drawn to teaching because he wanted to have a positive impact on the lives of others. While not knowing initially what subject he wanted to teach, after looking into and choosing math, McDaniel fell in love with the subject.

“Math, I feel like it’s different than every other subject, and it offers students a challenge, and kind of a puzzle to it, where they have to solve something, and it has a definite answer,” McDaniel said.

Prior to graduating, McDaniel student-taught at Waterloo High School in Atwater, Ohio, as well as putting in a lot of work in the Akron Public Schools. His tenure at GlenOak marks McDaniel’s first official teaching job.

“I’ve always known the school growing up, and I didn’t know much about it, but looking into it, I saw that they offered a lot of really cool programs,” McDaniel said. “The students here have been awesome, I’ve heard really good things about it from other people who have had experience at GlenOak, so I figured it would be a good place to start my career.”

Overall, McDaniel has enjoyed his time at GlenOak so far, having nothing but good things to say about the “Home of the Green and Gold.”

“I really like it here, students have been super awesome, and it’s been a really great first job for me to have,” McDaniel said. “I’m super happy with GlenOak right now.”

Just as a master of their trade blends everything that they have learned together in order to be the best at what they do, McDaniel uses his experiences as Goofy to better himself as a teacher.

“I had a professor in college who said that teaching is like acting, you have to put in your energy, and give a good performance in front of the crowd every day,” McDaniel said. “As a former character performer, I use that same energy and body motion to try to bring that energy to class everyday.”

In his freetime, McDaniel enjoys watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine as well as sports. He is a big Cleveland fan, and he is a fan of the Manchester United Football Club.

McDaniel does not just enjoy watching soccer, and can be found both on the field as a player, and on the sidelines as a coach at Marlington.

“I really like coaching soccer, that definitely takes up a lot of my time, and I really enjoy it,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel also works as a seasonal employee at Kohl’s during the holiday season. McDaniel will remain at GlenOak until March, at which point Kobasic will return. While his time at GlenOak is short, McDaniel has tried to make the most of it, by getting to know his students by asking them about events in their lives. He also tries to brighten up class by cracking jokes and creating songs to help his students learn the concepts.