Dr. Mozart Dor is a teacher at Oxford High School who is originally from Ghana, West Africa. In addition to his role as a teacher, he is also a pastor and a published writer, with two books currently on the market. Both of these books focus on religious themes, offering insights on spirituality and faith. He is also working on a third book, further expanding his contributions to religious literature.
“One of my books is called ‘LIVING The Victorious Life: An Exposition & Application Of Abraham’s Faith Walk For Today’s Generation’ which is applied for the 21st century,” Dor said. “The idea behind it is to take someone who is very successful and to see if we can still learn from their old life. If yes, what can we learn and what can we get rid of?”
Not only has Dor been a teacher for around 25 years, but he also has a background working in ministry. The second book that he wrote, titled “Spirit Empowered Preaching: AN INTRODUCTION,” is structured more like a textbook that goes into anointed expository preaching.
“There are different forms of teaching and preaching,” Dor said. “What we believe is the best form is an expository where you expose everything. You let people really understand what has been said rather than just skimming over it. My book is basically a textbook focused on teaching the Bible in depth.”
Dor was originally inspired to pursue his career in teaching because of the great need that he saw for it. He noticed there was a lack of teachers in the school system, and he decided that he wanted to be a part of the solution.
“I do believe there are three different people in the world,” Dor said. “Those who struggle, those who are successful and those who leave a legacy. I want to be a part of those who leave a legacy, and I do believe one of the best ways to leave a legacy is to give part of yourself away. The best way that I know how to do that is by teaching and writing books.”
Since 2022, Dor has been working at Oxford High School teaching African American Studies, World History and Exploring American Democracy. This school year he took over teaching the Advanced Placement Human Geography course as well.
“I love how the classroom functions in my AP Human Geography class,” Dor said. “My students are talking back to me. Everyone is really excited about the material, talking about the world and even talking about how it affects us. It is a pretty neat class, and the students are all amazing.”
Freshman Makenzie Clark is currently taking AP Human Geography from Dor and loves the classroom environment that he has created. Dor comes to work every day positive and cheerful, making learning fun for his students.
“My AP Human Geography class is great because Dr. Dor encourages lots of class discussions and debates where we get to hear various perspectives,” Clark said. “My favorite part of class with Dr. Dor is hearing his perspective on certain topics and how he does things because he is originally from Ghana. This allows us to learn about different cultural aspects that are talked about in AP Human Geography from an entirely different perspective.”
Exploring American Democracy is one of the courses that Dor has taught in previous years. Sophomore Elizabeth McLellan took this class in the previous school year from Dor and loved her experience.
“I could definitely tell Dr. Dor loved teaching,” McLellan said. “He liked to tell us how much he enjoyed his job, and he always seemed very excited about what he was going to teach us each day. This is why he was such a great teacher in
my opinion. He always did a great job of explaining things and really liked to keep us engaged. I learned so much from taking Exploring American Democracy with him.”
McLellan’s admiration for Dor’s teaching style went beyond his enthusiasm. She also appreciated the way Dor structured the class, incorporating interactive elements that allowed students to apply what they were learning in a more hands-on way.
“My favorite part of his class was probably all of the projects we would do,” McLellan said. “In most units, we would have some kind of project towards the end which I think helped us all to learn better. He was very good about get- ting us out of our comfort zones and making us present the projects we did in front of the whole class. I only had him for a quarter, but he was truly such a great teacher.”
Dor’s dedication to pushing students beyond their limits and encouraging them to give their best, even in challenging moments, reflects a powerful mindset that goes beyond the classroom. He emphasizes this commitment to excellence, urging others to put everything into their endeavors, drawing from the wisdom of experience.
“If at any time we are given an opportunity to do something, let us give it 101%,” Dor said. “Let us do it wholeheartedly because time does not wait. There are some things I could have done better when I was younger, but I am so glad that the wisdom I have now I can utilize. So whatever you find yourself to do, do it with all your heart and give it 101%.”
