Steve Matthews, whether he is in the classroom or library, believes that good teaching means meeting students where they are, understanding their experience, and then helping them to broaden that.

Steve Matthews has the perfect job: that's why he has been at it for 30 years. Matthews is both librarian and English teacher, with director of Interim Term thrown in for good measure. He said it's a great combination, to have the classroom exposure to students and to be a librarian, which is the center of all things at Foxcroft. Teaching enables Matthews to introduce students to things that are "great and powerful," he said, and being in the library is being at the point of discovery. "That's the beauty of being a librarian: you entice, introduce and make things available, and here we have the luxury of being able to work in small groups, one on one, and build a relationship with students that's about their learning and their understanding of the world."

Matthews, whether he is in the classroom or library, believes that good teaching means meeting students where they are, understanding their experience, and then helping them to broaden that. While curiosity can be dulled by poor instruction, his duty is to develop their curiosity. "They have to see you as a seeker. I don't sit there with all the knowledge. It's about exploring something that is dynamic and open. I so often see students come alive in a lecture and discover the power of their own intellect," he said.

He believes in helping his students build their intellectual library. "What you engage your mind in becomes a part of you," he explained. "The books you read modify your thought and built your own intellectual life." He also recognizes that teenage girls are a special entity he regards as "wonderful and positive.'' He said that although they tend to be more emotional than he is, he loves their openness to ideas, their innate compassion, their wanting to understand and be fair. "They crave sincerity and quality companionship. They know that you're not patronizing them and that they are not just cogs in the wheel of what delivers your paycheck.

These students, to Matthews, are his inspiration. "They have to care that they get it. And you have to teach things that you care about. He said it's a risk, investing in them and caring so much about his subject matter. It makes him vulnerable, and his students know that. But he continues to challenge them, especially in course such as AP English, where students tackle Virginia Wolfe and William Faulkner. These authors, he said, are not immediately accessible. "They don't see the worth of it ... and then they begin to question their own intellect, but they do learn the techniques and things begin to occur to them." And that, to Matthews, is witnessing the point of discovery.

Interim Term is a breath of fresh air to Matthews: he sees this as a step back from the constant strain to achieve good scores and an opportunity to come together as a school, teachers and students alike, to learn. "We do something where we all learn together. Everyone gets to bring where they are to the table. This will expand not just what they know, but how they feel about it. It is the perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts."

Learning, to Matthews, is fun. Learning, even after 30 years, is adventure, exploring, and discovery.