Meet the teacher: Matthew Verlei, 8th grade language arts

Matthew Verlei teaches eighth grade language arts at Desert Wind Middle School.

How long have you taught in Maricopa?

Just since the beginning of this school year.

Where did you teach prior to this year?

I substituted in Wood County, Ohio.

Why did you become a teacher?

I like to teach people. It’s about making a connection with someone. I like knowing that knowledge has been passed, that someone has learned something and that’s it’s because of me. I’ve always had the desire to pass on knowledge, from truths to minutiae.

Why did you decide to teach in Maricopa?

I had wanted to move to Arizona for about two years. Maricopa was at my university’s job fair so I went and met with them. I had my best interview of the day, and they were the first application that I sent out the following weekend. Luckily, I was given the opportunity.

What is your approach to teaching?

I like to challenge my learners. American public school students aren’t challenged as much as they should be. I try to extend my kids and to get them to extend themselves.

What makes you unique?

The combination of positivity, humor, and idiosyncrasies makes me unique. Also I know more about movies than anyone I know.

What do you like to do when you are not teaching?

Watch movies and hockey. Swim and play Frisbee golf. Read fiction, memoirs, and occasional non-fiction. Write short fiction. Play wiffle ball or tennis ball. Write 12-piece operas. Invent new colors. Reinvent the wheel. Extend…

What is the most memorable teaching or life experience you have had?

It may sound clichéd, but college was the most memorable. I had the “best times of my life,” but, more importantly, I had those times with the most important people in my life (other than my family). The friends I made there will never be topped. Furthermore, I made Lode runner-sized leaps and bounds in my capacity to think and learn at Bowling Green State University. I finished carving out an intellectual niche for myself and solidified my lifelong desire to learn and never stagnate.

Anything else you would like to add?

I REALLY love teaching here in Maricopa.

Teacher Details:

Name: Matthew Verlei
School: Desert Wind Middle School
Grade Level or class taught: eighth grade Language Arts
Phone number: (520) 568-7110, ext. 3175

Photo by Michael K. Rich