Paola has gained a new English teacher, Matthew Arnold. On top of his dream of wanting to travel the world, Arnold said he is now here to teach.
Arnold graduated from the University of Kansas, with a major in secondary education.
“One of the reasons I choose to teach Language Arts is because I really love to read and write.” Arnold said. “I think you can do more with Language Arts on an everyday basis than you could with any other subject.”
Arnold said this is not his first year of teaching. He said he taught at Shawnee Mission Northwest and a middle school in Lawrence. He said he taught English Language Arts at both schools.
Arnold said the students were different than he expected, but in a good way.
“Coming from different schools in the past, the kids are definitely different, but it’s been a positive difference”, Arnold said. “I’ve been really impressed by their attitudes and the way they treat each other. It’s like one big family.”
Arnold said everyone has made him feel very welcome.
“I really like Paola High. Everyone has been super-friendly to me and all the kids are super awesome,” he said. “Teachers have gone out of their way to come say hi to me and introduce themselves. Parents, teachers and students; they have all been great.”