What sets The Donoho School apart is our faculty. These individuals provide the living curriculum for Donoho students in and out of the classroom. Each week we will feature a member of the faculty and his or her story. We hope you will enjoy getting to know our faculty members throughout the school year and will stop by each week to read the latest Donoho Story!
Donoho Stories: Mr. Matt Ford
What do you teach at The Donoho School?
I teach US History to the junior class and both US Government and Politics and Macroeconomics to the senior class, and I serve as the coach and faculty sponsor of the school’s competitive Academic Team. In addition, I am transitioning into administration this year, having been given the opportunity by Dr. Hutchins to serve as the school’s Dean of Academics for the 2014-2015 school year.
What do you love about The Donoho School?
Everything, and that is not meant to be trite or cliché. I love our student body, which is comprised of genuinely awesome young people who work hard to thrive in a challenging educational environment while treating their teachers and peers with kindness and respect. I love the faculty members with whom I work because they share my passion for teaching and are some of the most intelligent and devoted people I have ever known. I love the administration, staff, and coaches because they work tirelessly to further the mission of a school that works to meet the needs of the whole child. Who wouldn’t love to work at a place like that?
Why do you like teaching at The Donoho School? What motivated you to become a teacher at The Donoho School?
Even before I started teaching at Donoho, I was aware of the school’s tradition of academic excellence. Once I realized that teaching was the path I was destined to travel, I knew I wanted to teach at a school where the institutional goals were set at a level high enough to mirror my own personal educational expectations. I am truly fortunate to be able to walk into my classroom everyday knowing that when I ask my students to think outside the box or question preconceived notions, they will rise to the challenge.
What is a unique experience, talent or interest that you bring to your classroom to help shape the learning experience of your students?
My students would agree that I bring a high level of energy to my classes (perhaps too much at times). I truly love what I do and am passionate about the subjects I teach, and my daily hope is that my passion will wind up being contagious to at least one student. If I can make a student love history, politics, or economics as much as I do – and he or she learns it in the process – I have done my job.
What sets Donoho students apart from students in other schools?
As I mentioned earlier, Donoho students are truly outstanding young people. A consistent work ethic is a must in order to succeed at this school, and our students meet or exceed the expectations of our faculty time and time again. Our students are an incredibly tight-knit group of young people who can be counted on to pick up others when the chips are down. It’s like the old theme song from Cheers, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.” Well, at Donoho, everybody pretty much knows your name, which gives the school a family feel that one would be hard-pressed to find in other schools these days.
The Donoho School tagline is “Discover the Difference.” How do you accomplish this in your role Donoho?
I love teaching for a number of reasons, but the primary one is my students. I have known many of them since they were young, which has afforded me the rewarding opportunity to play a small role in their lives during these formative years. At different times, everyone that teaches at Donoho has served as a coach, mentor, confidant, counselor, father or mother-figure, adviser, and friend. Therefore, I try to live the Donoho Difference by being just as passionate about the students as I am about what I teach. I try to be there for them, meet them where they are, and just be a sturdy, positive presence in their lives. We all had that one teacher growing up that made us feel that we could be whatever we wanted to be. If I have been or can be that to one child in my years at Donoho, then it will have made all the time and effort worth it.
What do you want your students to gain from having known you?
I want them to be able to learn with passion in their final high school years, in college, and throughout life. When we continue to learn and grow and develop, no matter how old we are, we move closer to becoming the most productive versions of ourselves. In the end, my job in teaching the capstone courses of the social science department is to help produce young men and women who can think for themselves, weigh both sides of issue, solve problems, and be productive citizens who give back to their communities.
Matt Ford holds a B.A., M.A. and M.S.E. from Jacksonville State University and an Ed.S. degree from the University of Alabama. He is a National Board Certified Teacher and continues to teach history as well as serve as the Dean of Academics at The Donoho School. In his spare time, he is writing his dissertation for his Ph.D. in Educational Policy from the University of Alabama and is a devoted Alabama fan (Roll Tide!). He is married to the former Emily Mason, and the dad of Abigail and Hallie. He and his family live in Rainbow City, Alabama.
