‘What they do matters.’ Teacher of Year in Lee’s Summit has a message to share

Matthew Ketteman thinks educators have something important to learn from this pandemic.

“If there is something that all teachers need to hear right now while fighting through educational hurdles in this pandemic, it is that what you do matters,” Ketteman said.

“You are making a difference right now that will change the future. You are providing care and support. You are responsible for shaping tomorrow. You are amazing.”

The music teacher from Longview Farm Elementary School speaks from experience. He was selected as Lee’s Summit R-7 Teacher of the Year in May.

“Matthew establishes student connection and learning as the fundamental purposes in his choral classroom, and his students know it is a safe place to grow and learn,” said Longview Farm Principal Kimberly Hassler in a statement at the time of Ketteman’s district-wide recognition.

Hassler said Ketteman’s efforts reflect “his creativity and willingness to go above and beyond.”

This summer, Ketteman was first selected as one of 34 Regional Teacher of the Year recipients, and then named as one of seven finalists for Missouri Teacher of the Year. Darrion Cockrell, a physical education teacher at Lindbergh Schools’ Crestwood Elementary in St. Louis, was selected in September by a committee of his peers and education partners across the state as the 2021 Missouri Teacher of the Year.

Ketteman’s words of encouragement during the health crisis come from a personal place.

“Like most people, there are some days where I look out the window at someone else in their morning commute and wonder where they are going,” Ketteman said. “I sometimes am jealous of people who have a product at the end of their day to effectively measure what they’ve accomplished. They can look at that completed work and say, ‘Good job me.’

“We pour ourselves into our students. We share our life and experiences and encourage them in theirs. They go on their way and continue to grow. We focus on the next set of learners and repeat the process.”

It’s vital for educators to take note when they hear how a lesson or interaction with a student had impact, Ketteman said.

“The ripples of what we do as educators know no bounds. We can’t ever exactly know how far our impact goes, but there is one thing we do know: What we do matters.”

Ketteman said it’s important for teachers to be prepared for the fact that no day in education is the same.

“You never know what your students are bringing with them today,” he said. “We have to be prepared to be whatever our students need in that moment and cater to their educational needs. It’s both terrifying and so completely rewarding.”

The teacher believes students find many rewards in his music classes and says there is no “right way” to perform.

“I often tell my students, I’m not a music teacher to make you the best singer or performer. I want you to see music as a tool that you can use for the rest of your life.”

In the scope of his teaching music, Ketteman said the drastic difference between a kindergarten and a sixth-grader is neither talent nor knowledge but rather fear.

“Kindergarten students are fearless,” he said. “No matter the challenge ahead, they will give it their all. Fast forward a few years, though, and students have succumbed to social pressures and anxiety about messing up. I strive to make my classroom a place full of mistakes. Mistakes and joy.”

Ketteman has been trying to share motivational emails with the Longview Farm staff each Friday.

Recently, his motivation came from Cockrell, the St. Louis area teacher who won the state teacher award. In it, Cockrell, once a gang member, shares how educators positively impacted him and changed his life.

“His story needs to be shared,” Ketteman said. “Teachers need to hear that what they do matters. Now more than ever.”

This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM.