During the 2023-2024 school year, we will highlight our AMAZING Martinsville District Staff! Each one of our staff members begin teaching for a reason and we've asked them to walk down memory lane and "REMEMBER YOUR WHY"...enjoy this story about Special Ed teacher Mr. Jon Matthews…
Mr. Matthews attended Monmouth College/Eastern Illinois University and studied History and Special Education.
He said he loves the close knit nature of the Martinsville School District. He enjoys the "ah ha" moments when students have learned and bettered their understanding.
Mr. Matthews said: “Originally, I went in for History, as I personally feel it is the most important subject to develop overall understanding of the world and society. That understanding lead me into education to help those begin to see and develop their understanding of how the world works. Eventually, this led me to Special Education, where students from a variety of backgrounds and understandings can be led and helped along in their educational journey and their entrance into adulthood.
When asked about one of his favorite moments of teaching, he recalled a touching story from a district he was in prior to coming to Martinsville. “In the past, I convinced a student to get out of a gang. This was a kid, who was brilliant, with a genius level IQ, who had at one time been in the gifted program in the district. Due to circumstances he could not control, this led him down a bad path. This was something that was unfortunately common where I worked, as this area had one of the highest crime rates in the South, and bad influences caused him to go down this path. I managed to convince him to keep coming to school, and would at times, talk to him about why he made the decisions he made. My heart sank when he was suspended from school for the last quarter and forced to do homebound work, which he did always complete; however, I knew what he was involved with when not doing his work. His grandmother was unware and in denial about what he was involved with for a while; but, eventually she agreed to meet me at a McDonald's to discuss her grandson. I met with her and it was a tense conversation, but I got her to realize what was going on and that his path was one that would lead him down a short road. With Grandma's help, he was able to correct his path and graduated, attending college in the fall.”
Thank you for going above and beyond to help students Mr. Matthews!