New Math Teacher Matt Joyner ‘Knew He Wanted to Be Here’

It is always interesting to find out about a new teacher joining the Pounder family. It makes it really intriguing to discover a passion for hiking, a mission trip, and an old high school memory brought him here. Central High School has had the honor of welcoming Matthew Joyner, the new Geometry teacher, to the Chattanooga community.

Originally from Jackson, Tennessee, Joyner has always had a warm spot for the outdoors in his heart. Hiking, climbing, and swimming are hobbies he often enjoys, and that mere passion has brought him to the town of Chattanooga. Here, during the summer, Joyner embarked on a mission trip to Nicaragua, and he jumped at the opportunity to help teach math to the children living there.

“I knew I wanted to become a teacher after that,” Joyner expressed. “I just fell in love with it.”

Attending East Tennessee State University a short while later, Joyner graduated in May and was looking for a place to call home. Central High School offered an opportunity, and an interview was set up right away.

“When Mr. King interviewed me, I just knew I wanted to be here,” Joyner remarked. “It reminds me of my old high school too.”

On August 11, 2016, Joyner began his first year teaching geometry, not really knowing what to expect. It was something he had never really experienced before, and he wasn’t sure how things were going to go. Students filed into his classroom that morning, and class began.

“It was a lot different than I thought it would be. Coming up with work to keep the students occupied  was harder than expected,” Joyner confessed. “But they are pretty well behaved, and do not really give me trouble.”

The faculty has been a big help to this huge adjustment, as well as the students’ care and charisma to learn. One person who inspires them to learn is Joyner, and it is making a huge impact on the way students feel about math.

“Mr. Joyner is really good at explaining when I’m stuck on a problem,” a freshman, complimented. “I actually understand what’s going on now.”

Along with encouraging students to work as hard as they can in math, while still making it fun, Joyner has taken on the role of coaching the Cross Country and Track teams. Spending a lot of his time with the people on the team, Joyner has admitted to really enjoying the experience so far, and is currently continuing his studies at graduate school at Lee University.