Science educator Matt Nielson from Valley City, Minnesota, has been named a finalist for the honor of 2022 Minnesota State Teacher of the Year. He is also a member of the National Guard. Photo Credit: US Army

There are many dedicated, and, I dare say, heroic teachers who work diligently in American schools. One of them is Matt Neilson, a science teacher from North Dakota who is also a member of the Minnesota National Guard.

Matt currently teaches chemistry, physics, and STEM courses to 11th and 12th graders at Valley City High in Valley City, North Dakota. He also serves as the Head Coach for both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams. His work in his school is so highly respected and appreciated that Matt has been named one of four finalists for 2022 North Dakota Teacher of Year honors.

Matt’s curriculum emphasizes problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. For example, he developed one lesson that required students to create a periodic table based on fictitious elements. In collaborative learning pairs, the students looked for a pattern, debate their proposed solutions with each other, and then justify their conclusions. This Chalkboard Champion also promotes the value of relationships. “The more adults that they know that care about them, that kind of helps them along their path,” declares Matt. 

In addition to his work in the classroom, Matt serves as a Captain in the North Dakota National Guard. His military occupational specialty is a chemical, biological, radiation, and nuclear officer. For his service, the exemplary educator has earned a Meritorious Service Medal for completing 20 years of service. “I served over in Iraq in 2003-2004,” reveals Matt. “In 2006, I re-enlisted, and in 2009 I talked with my wife and we decided, you know what, we’re going to make a career of it and stayed in for 20,” he continues. “I believed in what we were doing. I believed in the mission. I believed in our state and our country,” he says.