By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The “Coaches in the Classroom” feature is a weekly series that spotlights and celebrates coaches throughout Portage County, who spend their days in the classrooms and hallways leading today’s student-athletes to be tomorrow’s leaders.

Today’s spotlight is on Garfield High School’s Matt Hill, who is a 5th Grade Math and Science teacher at Twinsburg Elementary School and is in his first season as the Garfield G-Men boys basketball head coach.

• School district: Twinsburg City Schools.
• How many years have you taught at Twinsburg?: 20 years in the district (23rd year of teaching overall).
• Classes taught?: Kindergarten (3 years), 1st Grade (18 years), 5th Grade Math and Science (2 years).
• What made you want to become an educator?: My parents (Jane and Marty) were both teachers. I saw the impact that they made on their students daily. I wanted to have the same impact on young people.
• What is your favorite part of the job?: Building relationships with my students and watching them make growth. The unexpected moments and unique perspective of students that make me smile and laugh daily.
• What have you learned about being an educator that you didn’t know before you started?: Teachers aren’t in the business of “fixing” kids. Kids are who they are. We spend one year with our students. The goal is to make them better people and more prepared people for the future in the one year we spend with them on their educational journey.
• Which teachers influenced you to pursue a career in education?: My mom and dad (Jane and Marty), as previously mentioned, were my biggest influences. I also had wonderful elementary teachers like Mrs. Foster and Mrs. Cross at Garfield Elementary. I remember that they made learning fun and made you feel important every day. Mrs. Selner at Windham High School. She truly cared for all of her students and showed the value and importance of positive teacher and student relationships that went beyond what was being taught in the classroom.
• How do you apply some of your coaching to the classroom and some of your classroom to your coaching?: Relationships matter the most! When your students and players know you genuinely care for them as people, you will see improvement, achievement and success in the classroom and on the court.
• Funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a classroom?: Honestly, there have been so many funny things that have happened in the classroom over my 23 years of teaching. I can truthfully say that as a teacher, there is something a kid does or says every single day that makes me laugh. Those moments and laughs make it a fun job.
• Mentors in your building who have helped you along the way?: Mindy Knisely, Kim Fink, Kris Jensen, Sharon Booker.