0SHARESShareTweetDavid Mckim Suicide, McKim is an energetic teacher at Helena High School who is loved by his students, but how much do you truly know about him? Did you know that he has served as an opening act for Fall Out Boy? Or that he specializes in making bespoke furniture.
The Nugget had a conversation with Mr. Mckim in order to gain further insight into his history and his goals for the future. Mckim started out as an apprentice carpenter and attended classes at the University of Montana when he first became interested in furthering his education. After a while, he decided to pursue geology as a full-time study instead of the apprenticeship. He received his education at the University of Montana, where he majored in geology. After that, he attended a community college in Seattle, Washington, to receive training in the preservation of natural resources found in wilderness areas.
It was at Eastern Michigan University, where he studied earth science and got his degree in secondary education, that he put the finishing touches on an already excellent resume. Mckim started his own construction company while he was still in school and continued to work in the sector for the next 15 years after he graduated. In the meantime, he came to the conclusion that his favorite aspect of the job was instructing new employees about building, which led him to pursue a degree in secondary education.
Mckim has been an earth science teacher for a total of ten years; the first four of those years were spent in California, and the latter six years have been spent at Helena High. Both the normal and honors versions of earth science are under his tutelage. Mckim has expressed that he “digs what he’s doing” and that he “loves teaching freshman.” In the classroom, Mckim enjoys teaching the historical geology lesson the most because he finds it interesting to “look at the rock record.” According to McKim, “it’s like telling a story of all the progress that’s been made on the planet.” Mr. McKim’s passion for the great outdoors lends itself nicely to the concept behind the Helena High Outdoors Club.
which he co-directs with Mr. Benson and Mr. Lynn outside of the classroom. “I would probably be out doing these things anyway, but it just make it more fun when I can do it with kids,” said McKim. McKim enjoys traveling, playing in his band Copper Queen (which plays country/folk with a touch of Americana), running his construction company on the side, and carpentry. He also hopes to continue doing all of these things in the future after he retires from teaching*.
Before we concluded our discussion, Mr. McKim provided the students of Helena High School with two pieces of guidance. The first item of guidance was as follows: “You don’t always have a crystal clear direction on what path to take or what to do, so part of the deal is that you take your best guess and go with it and deal with the consequences later.” Second, you shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes. If you’re not falling short, you’re not putting in enough effort; if you’re not stumbling, you’re not trying hard enough. It is not from our achievements that we gain wisdom, but rather from our mistakes.
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