Serving the Cause in the Classroom and on the Field

From teaching math during the day and tutoring in the evenings to coaching football in the fall and tennis in the spring to teaching Sunday School on the weekends, there’s little that Jim Moser (C'04) hasn’t done to support his community.

After graduating from the College, Moser put his double major in physics and math to use in a variety of ways. He was a substitute teacher in a public school district, created math problems for a textbook publishing company, and worked in the oil and gas industry. He also spent a few summers working at the camps for Christian Scientists in Harrison, Maine. In 2006, Moser began teaching at Principia, first in the sixth grade and now in the Upper School.

“While at Principia College, I saw excellent teaching models from all of my professors,” Moser says. “Those are the models I want to follow; they help me decide what kind of teacher I want to be.”

In particular, Moser appreciated his math classes with Dr. David Gibbs (US’58, C’62), noting that Professor Gibbs taught him what true rigor and academic excellence look like. But that’s not all. “The most important thing I learned was not to be intimidated by complexity,” Moser comments.

A man of integrity and selfless service, Moser has made an exceptional difference in the lives of countless students. For one thing, his care and enthusiasm are catching; Moser says he can’t imagine doing anything else. “It’s fun to see the growth in other people when maybe they don’t have the perspective to see it in themselves,” he notes.

Recently, Moser’s contact with Principia students—and their teachers—expanded when he added the post of instructional coach for math in the Lower and Middle School to his teaching responsibilities in the Upper School.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of the Principia Purpose, where you can find other profiles of young alumni.

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