Matthew Smith

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I wanted the opportunity to change the negative narrative of school that so many teens experience. I struggled in middle school because my parents were going through a divorce and I was bullied and felt disconnected. I didn't have friends or adults in my life I believed I could turn to. I choose to work in middle school because of that hopelessness. I want my students to never have to feel that isolation and loneliness. I want them to know that they are seen and loved!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Every year my pre-algebra students host a probability carnival. After learning about probability concepts, students are tasked with designing and building a carnival game and determine the probability of students winning their game. My classes host every K-8 student on campus for this fun and exciting PBL opportunity. Two years ago while hosting, I overheard one of my students tell a 2nd grader how much fun middle school math was. It was one of those moments that made the work so gratifying!

What would you do with the $25,000?

This is going to sound weird, but to be totally transparent, I've won a similar cash award for being named an Orange County Teacher of the Year in 2024. I took my wife and 3 daughters on the trip of a lifetime to Europe with those proceeds. If I won this award, as silly as it sounds, I would use it to renovate my daughters' bathroom. We have a bathroom in our house that is unusable, and with three growing girls who want nothing more than privacy in the morning, this would be a Godsend!