Matt Ely’s Journey from the United States Army to Waukee High School
.Matt Ely spent seven years in the United States Army.
“With the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it felt like there was something important to do and I wanted to be a part of it,” says Ely. “The bigger factor was my older brother was in the Army, so I had already seen him do it and I felt compelled to follow in his footsteps.”
Matt’s journey in the Army sent him to Virginia, Washington, Afghanistan, back to Washington, back to Virginia and finally to Camp Dodge, learning life lessons at every stop.
“When I started ROTC in college, it seemed impossible that I would ever be able to be one of the leaders of my ROTC battalion. But by senior year I was and I was comfortable with it and confident,” says Ely. “It seemed impossible that I would ever be able to run two miles in under 14 minutes, but I ended up running two miles in close to 12 minutes.”
While Matt was serving in Afghanistan he began to experience his duties through a new lens. Those experiences are a big reason why he’s in Waukee today.
“I learned that I Ioved working with young soldiers,” adds Ely. “I enjoyed helping them become better writers and taught grammar classes in the Army to soldiers.”
Ely Transitions to Teaching
After seven years in the United States Army, Matt Ely made the move to education. He’s in his 3rd year of teaching social studies at Waukee High School. His military experience can also lead to questions from the class. Matt says he’s not trying to recruit anyone, but he does want to be a resource for his students.
“I try to be someone who has some recent relevant experience who can say here’s my experience, here’s what I’ve observed, here’s what I know, here’s the people I know,” says Ely. “I want to be a check on kids for people who don’t have someone to talk to.”
Veterans Day in the Classroom
Mr. Ely is spending his Veterans Day educating our students. The lesson adds on to his regular curriculum. He’s also focusing on a larger message about how we should look at this incredibly important day.
“More than anything it’s a time for Americans to honor someone who has done something for someone else,” says Ely. “Thanking people for sacrificing for someone else is an important cultural touchstone.”
Because sometimes the big decisions are happening while students are sitting in his classroom.
“Part of the excitement of being a high school teacher is you get to be around students who are on the cusp of something else,” he says. “Every student here is processing what comes next. It’s important for me to be proactive for that conversation. In a lot of ways it’s the most important conversation we have in this building.”
