Lazy, tired, and uninterested pretty much sums up Matthew Steele’s high school career; but his work ethic in high school never changed his love for history.

  Shockingly to his high school teachers, Steele went to college and wanted to be some sort of history teacher. He studied banking and finance and eventually that pushed him on the path of Economics. Steele is a new teacher here at Combs but has been in education for five years and has  always liked teaching senior classes.

  “I’m dealing with kids who are making important decisions on their own and I feel like I’m playing an important role in their lives by teaching them econ.,” Steele said.

  Steele spent four years at American Leadership Academy teaching Economics, but after realizing public schools were more his style, he decided it was time to move on.

  “I feel more comfortable in the public system and wanted to contribute more to a community rather than what may seem like a business,” Steele said.

  After a smooth transition here at Combs, Steele quickly learned how much he loved open-minded students were in class and realized being part of a rapidly growing school was somewhere he wanted to be.

  “Small enough to still grow, but large enough to offer all the experiences students should want,” Steele said.

  One of Steele’s biggest challenges as a teacher is keeping his lessons relevant to a 17 or 18 year old student.

   “You kind of have to be an entertainer while teaching econ.,” Steele said.

  Steele has four kids and although they keep him pretty busy, he’s always up to date on current events and financial reporting. When it comes to free time, watching hockey is Steele’s favorite thing to do.

  “I watch any hockey that’s on, it’s a nice escape for me, it’s something I’ve always done as a kid with my uncle,” Steele said.

  Teenagers always worry about getting into a profession that we are unhappy with, that was one of Steele’s biggest worries. However, now that Steele is in the teaching profession his worries have gone away. Steele couldn’t imagine ever coming to work unhappy.

As the school year dwindles away, Steele hopes he can use his love for economics to inspire and to leave a positive impression on his students lives.