Introductory Post

Hi, my name is Neesha Mattison. I received by Bachelor’s degree from Oakland University in 2006. I worked as a bilingual paraprofessional for two years before I got my first classroom teaching position. My first teaching position was as a second grade teacher in the Detroit Public Schools. I worked there for two years. Then I got a job with Farmington Public Schools. I have worked at Lanigan Elementary School for the past four years. I did three years in first grade and one year in second grade. My current position for the following school year is at a different elementary school within Farmington teaching Kindergarten, which I don’t have too much experience with! I am hoping that I will be able to return to Lanigan, but that is all a numbers game based on enrollment! I love working at Lanigan Elementary School because it has a diverse population. We are at about 60% free and reduced breakfast and lunch population. Our school is made up of affluent families and families that need financial assistance. We have many ELL students and after a couple years of pleading for more bilingual help, we finally got a full time bilingual teacher assigned to our building this past year! I started my Master’s classes at a different online university but switched to MSU’s MATC program to better fit the needs of my program and satisfy the requirements needed for my professional teacher certificate. I have three more classes to take after the two that I am currently taking!

I have been married for six years and I have a three year old son, Nikhil. He takes up a lot of our time as he is an incredibly active child. His latest fun developments are crawling on EVERYTHING and learning how to take off the plastic knob covers on doors and unlocking them. When we’re not busy trying to keep our child safe and alive, we love being outdoors, especially in the summertime. We enjoy visiting the Detroit Zoo, Stoney Creek Park and various splash pads in our area. I love cooking and reading. The latest book I’m reading just for fun is Toddlers are a**holes and it’s not your fault. I highly recommend it to any parents of young ones!

When thinking about a show or movie portraying teaching and school, one show popped into my head immediately. It’s definitely not on the list of highly intellectual shows but one that’s dear to me…Boy Meets World. I think Mr. Feeny is what most new teachers entering the profession wish to be to their students. He is the perfect teacher. He is a constant, positive, guiding figure in the lives of Cory, Shawn and Tapanga. He is able to follow them from elementary school through college, always providing guidance in their academic lives and personal lives. Mr. Feeny is what we hope to be to our students; someone that makes such a positive and ever-lasting impact in the lives of his students. One of my favorite movies about teaching and schooling is Mona Lisa Smile. I love that Julie Robert’s character comes into this small, conservative school and starts to shake things up. I love that at the beginning of the movie, even her students don’t like her progressive teaching style and ideals but by the end it changes the lives of some of her most difficult, stubborn students.  She helps these young women see that they have more going for them then becoming a housewife and having dinner ready by the time their husbands get home from work. She broadens their mind through arts and academics but also in life. And even though she is only there for a year, her impact at that school will be felt for years to come.