Delaware Times
Kid Section
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  Have you ever wondered what goes on in the life of average - but not really average - life of your “ordinary” math teacher? What they really do, where they really go, what really happened since the day they were born? Do they have a boyfriend???!!! Yeah, this might seem like a boring subject talking about school all over again, but trust me, it’s more amazing than you will ever know! Think of it as a reality show: regular kid goes from ordinary to extraordinary! If it’s about TV, well, then yeah! Every kid has to understand! This week, I went to visit the mysterious algebra classroom of an interesting teacher with an astonishing life! Tune in to think of your fellow classroom leader as less of a teacher, and more of a person. Let’s welcome the one and only…………………Ms.Mattey! Yay!
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Here’s a little heads up: Ms.Mattey was born in Wilmington, Delaware (totally have connections to that place), and attended the University of Delaware. (Imagine that!) She told me has wanted to become a teacher when she was pretty young because she likes playing, teaching, and being around kids. At first, the main interest was kindergarteners. (They’re so cute!) But while attending the popular UofD, math became a big interest to her. She took a lot of really high-level math classes in the college, and got really good… good enough to teach them at least.
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Yeah, Miss Delaware does have a life outside of school. Did you know that? Our math teacher was runner-up for Miss Delaware in the Miss America competition in 2006. (And it doesn’t count if you’re in her class.) Yeah, ordinary to extraordinary! What did I tell you? It was quoted by the champ herself that the competition and everything included was literally the best experience of her life.
“You learn a lot about yourself,” she said, “it was really exciting for me. And FUN!” Completely. A chance for a competition like this only comes across like this once-in-a-lifetime. And coming up runner-up for Miss Delaware is something to definitely be proud of. Miss Mattey is actually coaching a girl right now for one of the annual Miss America pageants, Miss Bluegold! (I don’t actually know her – I just think that it’s a cool thing to coach that.) It ended up being a pretty big thing as to why she didn’t run again, having won second place last time makes her vulnerable to win in 2007. Apparently, there’s a young age limit on this thing: 26 (or something). And she’s like, way too old for that. (Just kidding.) Oh well. We’re still very proud.
In the competition, there was a series of outfits that the contestants had to wear. Miss Mattey’s favorite was the evening gown. She showed me some past pics of the dress, and yeah, it was pretty. Overall, Miss Mattey is thrilled with the astounding experience that befell her in the tightly wound knot of life. (That was strongly worded.) Good luck with the future beauty pageants. |
Yeah, that brings us to our next topic… outside hobbies! Everyone
likes different things, right? With kids, it’s mostly iPods, skateboarding, TV, and friends. Miss Mattey loves animals, skiing, playing Ultimate Frisbee (actually ran team one year) holding chess club, and is actively involved in beauty pageants.
You know, a lot of things in life are underestimated. One of these is the use of quotes. Time for a little background history… (I know, awwwww, man.
(In a dramatic voice): Quotes have been around for tons of centuries. They have inspired millions of our youth and have helped countless leaders find their true dominant voice. The first record of a citizen reporting that a certain quote has inspired them was around 1400b.c. (sentimental music playing…) But enough of that. Miss Mattey was specifically inspired by a certain quote that she could not think of. But she told me later. It goes: In everything you do, always give 100% because anything worth doing is worth giving it your all. So beautiful.
Anyway, the big influential mentor in her life would definitely be her mom. She’s a lot like her and had good advice on decisions growing up.
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In this world, everyone is asking for advice. I mean, it’s like, blooming with advice. “Help me with my homework” and “what do you do here” “tell me this.” So, what do you do when you want to become a teacher? Any advice? Yeah: “don’t do it for the summer vacation.”
“What career would you want to have if you weren’t teaching?”
“I’d like to be an accountant.” Said Miss Mattey without hesitation.
“Accountant?” Yeah, accountant. Miss Mattey loves math, and accounting is all about it. (So is like, office stuff. Just saying.)
Almost everyone has pet peeves. There are two things that annoy Miss Mattey in school (that she told me): One is name-calling. And you know that awesome boom-boom-tap thing everyone does? That’s the other. I bet everyone’s gonna start doing that little tap thingy now just to annoy her. I know I’m going to.
One thing I’ve learned from this entire experience is that teachers always have an outside life, and there’s more to them than you think. And in this situation, there’s more to Miss Mattey than just math, there’s another person, and that’s what she would like students to know about her.
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Oh, my goodness, everyone says this: What do you want to change about your job? This is always the answer: Smaller class sizes. It’s like, an epidemic, or something. No different here. And she also wishes everyone in her class would do their homework. Yeah, right.
Fun, fun, FUN! Everyone’s favorite part! FUN questions. Fave word: Sherbet. (By the way, that ice cream’s good!) Miss Mattey loves to hear her cat whining for food, and hates to hear it when kids have mean things to say.
“What do you think kids like most about you?” To students, she is known as an awesome and fun teacher. Our educators (BIG word) are loved, but no one really knows what makes someone just spark.
“I guess I’m a pretty young teacher, and you yourself said that I could pass for a high school student.” It’s true. I did say that. She could. Maybe. Perhaps, a little bit likely.
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Footnote:
This interview has been a great experience. Miss Mattey was an awesome interviewee and I have definitely learned a lot about our Algebra teacher.
Coolers, dude. |
