Matthew’s family moved from Long Island, NY, to Lancaster County at the beginning of his first year of middle school. While changing schools can often only add to the challenges of moving, it was actually the factor that aided his transition the most. At Dayspring Christian Academy, Matthew quickly found community amongst his classmates and faculty.
Matthew graduated from Dayspring and went to college to pursue petroleum engineering—a well-paying career that would use his natural giftings in math and science. But before the end of his freshman year, he started to have a strange feeling. While his success in the program should have planted nothing but green flags for his future in the field, a small part of him was convinced that this was not what he should be doing. After graduation, he spent a few years working for an engineering company, but that feeling was still there. Through prayer, that little feeling grew into a deeper conviction that God was calling him to return to and teach at Dayspring. He knew it was time to make the transition when roles and responsibilities started changing at his engineering job around the same time Dayspring was looking for a new science teacher.
His first school year as Mr. Valverde could be summarized as knowing what he was teaching but knowing a bit less about how he should be teaching it. That’s when he enrolled in the MS in Educational Leadership & Administration program. The program afforded him the opportunity to refine his educational philosophy and pedagogy and take courses that better prepare him for his future goal of being a part of the school’s administrative leadership.
Matthew is now in his fifth year of teaching and is the chair of the mathematics department at Dayspring Christian Academy. In his role, he teaches high school math and science courses in addition to coaching boys’ basketball. When asked what he enjoys most about his job, he said this:
“I love working with the kids. I love investing in the next generation and having conversations about biblical truth. I love seeing the ‘Aha!’ moments when they wrestle with hard things and then finally understand them. I love to instill confidence in the kids, to teach them that God has gifted them with talents and abilities. I want them to build a strong work ethic. I want them to be biblically sound when they leave here. There are so many mentorship opportunities that I have by working here with the students. I love these students. Plus, I love math.”
This story was originially included in the Spring 2024 issue of Cairn magazine.
Learn more about the MS in Educational Leadership & Administration program.
