Mark McMahon (’77) has taught honors physics and AP physics I & II at MDS for ten years. He returned to Macon and his alma mater after retiring from a 30-year teaching career in Nebraska. There are a lot of Cavaliers in Mark’s family: his four siblings went to MDS; his wife, Mary Rooks McMahon, also graduated in 1977; and his son, Sean, graduated in 2018. Mr. McMahon holds a bachelor’s in physics from Mercer University and a master’s in science education from Peru State College-Nebraska. In addition to teaching, he enjoys hiking and being outdoors.

What do you like most about teaching and what challenges you?

I enjoy interacting with students and especially watching them learn. I thought teaching during the pandemic would be difficult, but our students have met that challenge in a very positive way because they are following the rules. It is always a challenge to motivate those students who aren’t as eager to learn, which I try to do with engaging demonstrations of abstract concepts.

Describe a favorite activity or lesson.

When we study pressure, which equals force over area, I lie down, and place a bed of nails on my chest then a cinder block. A student uses a sledgehammer to break the cinder block, and they instantly see how the force is distributed over the area of the nails and make a connection to energy changes. I’ve also placed a student inside a heavy trash bag, and sucked the air out with a shop vacuum; they see that the student can’t move because the pressure outside of the bag is greater than the pressure inside. Note: A true teacher, Mark demonstrated the effect of charging tape with electrons during the interview!

Besides content, what do you hope your students learn?

I want them to know that learning is fun. I have found that students put in the effort when you make it fun and enjoyable. I also want my students to appreciate diversity and respect our differences.

What do you think makes MDS unique?

Mount de Sales is a Catholic school that welcomes and accepts students of all backgrounds and different religions into our school community. This is not true of all religious schools, and it is a value that I hope continues here. I really appreciate the broader diversity of the student population and the positive effect that MDS has on everyone.

What were you like as a student?

My wife, Mary, said she couldn’t believe that they gave me the keys to MDS! I was a decent student, but certainly not a straight-A student. In high school my focus was sports, especially football, and as a freshman I walked onto the football team at the University of Nebraska. Ron McLachlan taught me at MDS, and he is one of the main reasons I became a teacher. When I began tutoring students as a sophomore in college and my football career ended, I transferred to Mercer to major in education.