Meet Matthew Nevins, seventh grade math teacher at Miller Middle School in Marshalltown.

Nevins, 39, lives in Marshalltown and is a 1999 graduate of the Marshalltown High School.

He earned degrees from Marshalltown Community College, University of Northern Iowa and Morningside Graduate Program for MAT and English as a Second Language.

He and his wife, April, have one daughter, Norah, 3.

Q: Why did you decide to become a teacher?

A: I am a generalist at heart as I have not always been a math teacher. Learning something new has always excited me and made me want to share and teach others the enjoyment I get out of learning something new. Simplifying and making connections to real life is the best part of my current position. For the last three years, I’ve co-taught mathematics with ESL teacher Oscar Cardenas. We taught proportions by mixing amount of Kool-aid and taste testing. Our students created scale chalk drawings of Sponge Bob Square Pants and used our classroom floor as an XY axis to teach ordered pairs. Learning does not look the same for everyone, but many of us can find connections in just having fun.

Q: What is it like being a teacher at your school?

A: Being a teacher at B.R. Miller Middle School can be like telling others about a really good story. I teach middle school math. I sell a product to a market that doesn’t want it but is forced by law to buy it. Knowing this first hand has challenged me to find and relate real life examples to my student’s lives as often as possible.

Q: What are the best aspects of your job?

A: Knowing that I can depend on multiple adults at my job to lend me a hand, listen to my ideas and creatively supporting students’ needs. A large number of students in each of my classes that show up to school ready to learn and grow each day honestly thinking ahead to their future. When students that moved away right before school ended last year showed up in my classroom on their first day back eight months later to give you a bear hug. When a student wrote me a letter on behalf of her mother’s request to thank me for my efforts toward her daughter’s education while she temporarily lived outside of the country for the school year. When students at Miller Middle School that I’ve never had in class come up to me and say, ‘I want to be in your class.’

Q: What are the biggest challenges you face?

A: Poverty and mental health support. As much as we can support, there is always much more we can do to help.

Q: What do you want readers to know about your job, the school, the district, etc.?

A: The staff at Miller Middle School are here for student’s needs. There is always someone to turn to and lend a helping hand.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time:

A: I have an interest in spending time with my family, music, woodworking and planning the next big thing.