Mr. Mathis is currently a statistics teacher at St. Cloud High School and has a highly esteemed reputation amongst the students.

      Mr. Mathis has been a teacher altogether for the past 15 years, 8 of them spent here at St. Cloud High School. He’s always had a passion for teaching. He states, “I have wanted to be a math teacher ever since my junior year of high school. I chose this path after I was asked to tutor other students in math.” After being shown a glimpse of what teaching could be like he “...found it very fun and challenging at the same time” which convinced him that this was what he wanted to do as a career. Once he knew teaching was his interest, he completed his undergraduate degree with a major in Education and Math, and a minor in Spanish. Fun fact, at one point, Mr. Mathis could speak Spanish. Following that, he achieved a master's degree from Emporia State University, in Kansas, in Mathematics.

      Throughout his years at SCHS he has been beloved and known by many for his passion for teaching and his character. His ecstatic personality according to one of his former students, Max Colburn, “brings light to a classroom and encourages kids to learn.” This keeps kids intrigued while also entertained, making math class more enjoyable. Normally math class can be difficult and tiring, but with a teacher like Mr. Mathis who makes jokes and keeps up with his students, math class, as he would say jokingly, is “tolerable”. Building relationships with students is very important to him, it brings him closer to his students, which can lead to students to become more willing to understand math and open to learning. Mr. Mathis continues to keep this up daily because “this shows that I not only remember what they are doing, but also that I care.”

      Mr. Mathis is set apart from other math teachers by taking creative action on his own assignments, math problems, and activities focusing on making them notable and memorable. For instance, random sampling five different lyrics in a Beyonce song to see if they prove that she wrote the song, students counting the number of chocolate chips in different cookie brands and counting the ratio of different colors in the skittles to see how many there are of each. He adds his own twist, to get students more engaged and involved

      In statistics. Max Colburn also states, “During my AP class we did an experiment where we measured the height of a barbie doll, and calculated data on the height and cord length for barbie bungee jumping with rubber bands, to see how many it would take to have her bungee jump. It was unique and fun to participate in.” He consistently always goes the extra mile to create engaging and stimulating learning experiences for his students. Considering that even past students are able to recall such clear instruction from his lessons, it's clearly evident that he leaves a notable mark on the kids he teaches, with the way he runs his class.

      With the way he dedicates himself to his work and his relationship with his students, Mr. Mathis has proven time and time again that his esteemed reputation isn't without reason. Thank you, Mr. Mathis, for all that you do.

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