The Abbotsford News is honoured to profile 2023 “Heroes in Education” from a long and amazing list of nominees sent to us by our readers. “Heroes in Education” is graciously sponsored by Abbotsford School District, University of the Fraser Valley, City of Abbotsford, Easy Build Structures, Curtis Tire & Wheel, Kafka Denture Clinic and 5 Corners Furniture.
Standing in front of a gigantic cardboard display of the periodic table, you could say Andrew Matty is in his element.
The science and math teacher at W. J. Mouat secondary would wholeheartedly agree.
“I’ve always had a passion about knowing why I’m here,” he says. “Science has helped me learn what it’s all about.”
As a former Mouat student himself, being back, but this time in front of the class, seems like a natural fit. Wearing his enthusiasm for teaching, and indeed life, on his sleeve makes Matty very popular among his students, one of whom nominated him for the Heroes in Education honour.
Grade 10 student Cassiopeia Willett reached out to The News after seeing the nomination form in the paper.
“I thought he would be the perfect candidate,” she says. “A person’s actions shouldn’t go unnoticed.”
Willett says Matty is full of curiosity and respect and is always willing to help students understand new subjects. Whether it’s engaging them in interesting lab assignments or showing and talking to them about relevant news articles, new ongoing projects and exciting discoveries, Matty, she says, “keeps them intrigued.”
“He is constantly looking out for his students and doing more than is required as a teacher and that really stands out to me and my fellow students,” she says. “He is a reliable teacher that really helps students understand difficult subjects and setting them up for success on the right path is something that is really important for a student’s career path.”
Matty’s path to the classroom came through University of the Fraser Valley as an undergrad, then Simon Fraser University for his teaching degree and finally a master’s degree at City University. His first four years of teaching took place at the Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts (ASIA), where Matty was behind building a Rube Goldberg Machine. The year-long project was a school-wide effort that eventually became an 11-minute video (Get the Ball Rolling) and a major part of Matty’s master’s thesis.
VIDEO: Get the Ball Rolling
“I love to see students learn,” he says. “Getting them to see that wonder; getting them to that next level. They grow as a person.”
And Matty believes straight-up teaching isn’t going to do it for most students.
“The challenge of being a teacher today is having to teach much more than just the curriculum,” he says. “You need to teach everyday skills, people skills.”
And that’s not lost on his Heroes in Education nominator.
“He’s always introducing cool demonstrations to show real-life examples and applications. It really helps us understand how we can apply those skills in our everyday lives,” Willett says.
And if you’re thinking Matty is truly a rock star as a teacher, well, you’d literally be right on that front as well. Having organized a guitar club while at ASIA, Matty is in the process of assembling his own rock band at Mouat.
“Music has always been a way for me to deal with life … and it’s just fun.”
It’s that joie de vivre that seems to be at the heart of Matty’s zest for life. And he just wants to share that with his students.
“Having relationships and being part of their learning journey,” he says, makes coming to work each day a joy. “I love being part of someone else’s growth … and the grad/staff hockey game is also pretty great.”