When thinking of teachers, the first thing that comes to mind is assignments being handed out, lectures being discussed at the front of a classroom, or homework being collected before the bell even rings. The idea that teachers have ever done anything but teach is simply not what pops into mind.  It is often forgotten that teachers have not always been teachers.

Matt Joyner, the newest Geometry teacher at Central High School, spoke up about his journey into teaching. Joyner spent his last two summers in Nicaragua, helping at orphanages and going places with church teams. In the last bit of time he was there, he continued doing what he loved by tutoring orphaned children and getting to be a father figure to many.

“These kids live in orphanages, not many of them have ever had a dad in their life, so having a male role model was really cool for them,” shared Joyner.

The experience there soon led him to the idea of teaching and getting to see that “ah hah!” moment kids have when learning was what he had really been waiting for.  Joyner is excited to have the opportunity to continue his passion for teaching and his love for students as the one of the newest members at Central High School.

Having a strong passion for something can be great, but actually getting to experience it can be even more fulfilling. James Snyder, another math teacher at Central, has been given the opportunity fulfill his passion for not only teaching, but for construction and design as well.

For roughly 16 years–straight out of college–Snyder worked in construction for Fountain Design. He also gained plenty of experience training safety and quality control, as well as getting the opportunity to train younger people. Snyder soon added that he got tired of traveling and he wanted another experience.

“I took my training experience and applied my math background, I then asked the state if I could enter the classroom and they said yes.” remarked Snyder. His efforts paid off and Synder soon really captured his passion for teaching.

Here at Central High School, all of the students are very thankful to have teachers who dedicate all of their time to the education of their students. Teachers devote most of their time to their teaching careers, and often, students take that for granted. Students tend to think teachers spend all their time at school, but they have life outside the walls of Central High School, too.