The students of Emerson High School welcome a new math teacher, Michael Porter, who will use his past experiences to ensure perseverance and respect in his classroom, while also making it an enjoyable learning environment for all students.
Porter is doing such an excellent job despite his short tenure.
“I’ve been teaching math since August 9 of 2023, so I am the epitome of a new teacher, so what, four weeks about? Or about a month or so?” he said.
Porter chose to dedicate himself to the students here at Emerson High School because he liked the idea of teaching, and EHS seemed like the perfect place for him.
“She [the Assistant Principal] was telling me about the new way that they were trying to teach Project Based Learning, and it seemed really interesting to me,” Porter said.
Porter has loved math since third grade, when he was the go-to guy for activities like mental math. The encounter left him feeling accomplished, but he had never thought about a career in education. Instead, he joined the military to pay for college.
“In the military, my captain told me that, you know, based on the work that I did with and for her, that engineering was probably a really good path for me, and that’s not something I ever thought about,” Porter said.
Porter’s love for math developed even deeper in college when his Calculus II teacher showed him how math could be beautiful; the world of fractals in nature. He was inspired to pursue a career in math, so after the military he got his engineering degree and his minor in mathematics. However, he didn’t get a job relating to math for a little while.
“After I graduated from college, I always thought that I would retire from whatever job I was doing, get my doctorate degree and then become a professor, but after working in the corporate world for so long, I realized how little I liked the corporate world, compared to a job of service like the military.”
He got into real estate, which he enjoyed, but still didn’t feel like he was on the right path. He then reflected on that, knowing he was missing something.
“How else can I serve my community and the people around me, without actually being in the military. What’s another type of service?”
He decided on teaching, because it combined his love of helping others with his love for math. Porter also included one specific aspect from the military: respect.
“You respect yourself, you respect your peers, and you respect my classroom and me, obviously,” Porter said, explaining what he had taken away from his experiences.
Porter may show a no-nonsense attitude in the classroom, but outside of teaching, he has many activities that he enjoys. He loves to invent items and has multiple patents, as well as create art, play basketball, and practice instruments with his daughters. Even though he has so many interests, his focus is still on helping his pupils. He wants to make sure his students understand the information and has many goals to help benefit them in his classroom.
Porter said that he wishes “To better understand the content in a way that I can teach it. Because everybody learns differently.”
He’s excited to see his students’ progression, and to become a better teacher in general. Overall, Porter just wants to support his students and benefit them in life.
“I get satisfaction out of doing something I couldn’t do before,” Porter said, describing the challenge of teaching teenagers.
He wants his students to feel that same pride in themselves, which makes him a great teacher.
“When they went in knowing nothing and leaving knowing what I was trying to get through to them, that feels really good.”
