Teachers come and go, but great teachers stick with students forever. But what does a great teacher do outside of school and what do other students say about them?
Matthew Adkins has been a teacher for 12 years. He decided to be a teacher while in high school when his teacher, Lisa Gardner, inspired him to become a more avid reader. She worked with him to change his viewpoint of school.
Adkins has never regretted his decision to become a teacher. He loves having a job where he can make a difference in the lives of future generations, and not be stuck doing the same things every day. Being a teacher has taught Adkins patience and how to adapt to different situations.
His goal when he started teaching was to work with Advanced Placement (AP) students. Not only did Adkins reach his goal but he is teaching several AP classes while attending college himself. He said, “AP students really challenge me and I always have to figure out how to become better which has helped me progress in my knowledge.”
Outside of school, Adkins is an avid guitarist. In highschool, he mainly focused on the sports he played. In fact, he holds a school record for the best free throw percentage. When he was 15 years old, he started playing guitar. However, he did not have enough patience when he was younger to actually become sufficient at playing. His family was trying to get him into music when he was younger, but Adkins was more focused on sports. It wasn’t until Adkins went to college that he started playing more frequently. He started playing with people who had some real talent and became obsessed with getting better.
Not only does Adkins play the guitar, but he is teaching himself to play drums, the bass and the mandolin. When SHS science teacher and former Guitar Club sponsor, Greg McCurdy, retired, Adkins volunteered to take over the club that McCurdy started. Adkins runs Guitar Club and teaches students how to play guitar and other instruments. When he is not teaching the students, he is teaching himself how to become better.
While being a teacher is his dream Adkins eventually wants to transition to a music career. Whether that be teaching people how to play or working in a shop repairing guitars. If he weren’t a teacher he would take a job in business for job security while wanting to eventually transition to music.
If given the opportunity to eat lunch with anyone, dead or alive, Adkins would choose his Grandma Jean because she is “one of the nicest people” he’s ever been around. He was really close to her and would love the opportunity to see her again. The other person Adkins would have lunch with is Charles Barkley. Barkley was Adkins favorite basketball player when he was growing up.
Even though Adkins admitted to being both a dog person and a cat person, he only has a cat named Emmy. He adopted her from his friend. He takes whatever opportunity he can during his classes to mention his cat. Emmy is the first pet that Adkins has ever had.
A secret passion of Adkins is cooking. He loves to cook new foods but his favorite thing to cook and eat is BBQ. He has always loved cooking food and enjoys pushing his limits with different recipes. After growing up around home cooked food Adkins feels he has no choice but to be good at cooking. “I make the best smoked mustard chicken wings and smoked mac and cheese,” he said.
One of the most unique things about Adkins as a teacher is his teaching style. While most English teachers give grades based on how well a student can follow a rubric, Adkins grades students based on self reflection and improvement. Both Brooklyn Davisson and Carolyn Casey said they like this way of grading.
Casey said, “ I like his grading system. Being graded based on effort and not being graded on how I compare to other people in writing capabilities is something Adkins introduced to me and everyone else.”
Casey feels that the grading system is fair to everyone and it is her favorite in the school. She said that Adkins makes English class fun. He incorporates jokes and learning in his classroom. She is excited to go to his class since his classroom is structured and fun and said that she has learned a lot from Adkins.
Davisson also appreciates Adkins teaching style. She said that he incorporates fun and learning while teaching. “I love how he uses humor to keep our attention throughout class,” she said, adding that Adkins teaching style is very unique and that the class pays more attention to him because of it.
“Mr. Adkins has definitely changed the way I view my English class.”
Below is an interview with Mr. Adkins by the Salem Lions News Network crew.