Principal Q&A: Matt Metcalf

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Four years ago, Matt Metcalf left a position at Maricopa Elementary School and took a teaching job at Sequoia Pathway charter school. In 2012, he became the elementary school’s assistant principal, which did not stop him from later also teaching a fourth grade class. This year, on Jan. 1, he was named interim principal.

What is your favorite part of being a principal?
I truly feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with the wonderful families we have here at Pathway. I feel that my favorite part of being a principal is the interaction with the students. The true highlight of my day is walking into the classrooms and asking the students to teach me about what they are learning, and seeing the pride in themselves and the joy in their eyes when they get a chance to show off what they know.
 
Why did you choose education as a career?
I never intended to become a teacher until my senior year of high school. I had a teacher named Mr. Monnette for chemistry. He was the father of a friend of mine from eighth grade. He made me realize that some teachers really do want to take the time to get to know students and truly care about how they are doing. He gave me advice about the future and convinced me that one teacher can make all the difference in a student’s life.

What were your first impressions of Sequoia Pathway?
I interviewed for a fourth grade position at Pathway when they had just opened the new building. I was impressed with the philosophy of “every child is known,” as this is what I had always tried to do to create a connection between myself and my students. I was excited to work at a place where they truly understood that knowing the students is the best way to understand their individual needs. Coming over to Pathway is the best career decision I have ever made.

What are the biggest challenges facing Maricopa students today?
I feel that one of the toughest challenges facing students are the ever changing expectations in education. The standards have changed, the testing is new and now they don’t have to pass AIMS in order to graduate. I realize that the system is doing what they feel is right for our students, but it is our students that are caught in the middle. I really do not care what test the students take as long as the expectations are set and understood by all. In every job I have ever had, I had a specific job function and set of duties. If we truly want to prepare our students for the future they need to know – and deserve to know – what we expect from them.

What was the best advice you received about your own education?
The best advice I have heard about my own education came from my mother. At one point when I was deciding on my major in college she off-handedly commented, “College is expensive and what is the point in paying that much money to get a degree in something you do not love. It’s like standing in line for hours to see a movie you know that you will hate.”

What advice would you like to give parents of elementary school children?
In these days of high-stakes testing, elementary school should be a place where students smile when thinking about going to school. They should have fun as well as learn.  Finally, there are right and wrong schools for each student. Each family must find the school that fits their child and brings them the most joy.

What have your students taught you?
I have learned so much from my students over the years. These students have so many different experiences and they just want the chance to share them with someone. I have learned that they just want a chance to be heard and to have someone, outside their family, listen to them and share their joy, pain and excitement.  As an educator, I have learned patience, understanding and that my time is important to me, but to others it is something I can give and receive the gift of a smile in return.

***ADVERTISEMENT***Matt Metcalf
Hometown: Phoenix
Education: Master’s degree in Education
Family: Loving wife with three children (Justine 20, Jordan 17 and Jackson 9)
Teaching positions you’ve held: Fourth grade, fifth grade and third grade in the Kyrene District, at Maricopa Elementary School and Sequoia Pathway.
Years in Education: 14
First job out of college: Teaching a 4th/5th combo class taking over for a teacher who quit a few weeks into the school year
Hobbies: Sports and cooking
First year with current school: 2011
Favorite subject when you were in elementary school? Math and history. “My favorite thing to do when I was in fourth grade was to mentally solve multiplication problems.”