Meet Matthew Wiemer (BA, 03, history), a social studies teacher at Niles West High School. He enjoys teaching students varied perspectives on history and helping them understand current events through a historical lens. He said he gained a lifelong love of history at Illinois and was inspired by the many professors he had who loved to teach. He brings that same joy into his own classroom and was recognized by his students in 2018 with the Teacher of the Year Award.
Read on to learn more about his career.
Why did you decide to pursue a degree in history?
My father was a middle school social studies teacher so a love a history was always in my veins and a topic of conversation at the dinner table. I had an amazing high school AP US history teacher – John Meyer at Glenbrook South High School – and because of people like him and my father, I knew I wanted to study history and eventually become a teacher.
How did your political science minor complement your study of history?
My sophomore year at U of I was the year of one of the most important presidential elections – 2000 – when the Supreme Court stopped the Florida recount and gave the election to George W. Bush. To be a student in history and political science at the time helped me make sense of the state of the United States and helped me try to put it in some sort of historical perspective. This is something I have tried to do with my own students – especially given the challenging political discourse of the last decade. Providing a historical perspective on current events helps young people understand and process the world around them.
Did you pursue higher education after undergrad?
I was accepted in the Masters in the Science of Education (MSEd) program at Northwestern University during winter break of my senior year at U of I. I always knew I wanted to be a history major and planned on doing a Master’s program in Education rather than doing it as an undergrad. Not only did this make me a more competitive candidate for jobs in the Chicagoland area, but it also kept my career options open. I had strongly considered pivoting during my senior year to a PhD program in history after spending a year and a half working on my Senior Honors thesis with Professor Adrian Burgos Jr.
I think that my degree in history at U of I not only gave me a strong foundation to teach history to high school students, but it opened doors to future employment. There are so many Illinois alumni in education in the suburbs of Chicago, and I was accepted – before even graduating – to student teach at Niles West High School in Skokie, IL because my cooperating teacher was an Illinois alum.
What was your first job after college?
My first job after college is also my current and last job – teaching social studies at Niles West High School. I was hired after student teaching there and began my career there at 23 years old.
How does your degree in history inform your work?
I still hold the same job and the love of learning history that I acquired at Illinois has never worn off. I constantly read books about US history, I attend conferences of the Organization of American Historians, and I grade AP exams for the College Board. I sponsored Student Government for 18 years, and have also run the Model United Nations club as well as coach Scholastic Bowl. These extra-curricular activities have been a fun way to exercise my interest in history outside the classroom and connect with more students.
I also think that some of my favorite history classes at Illinois were the classes where I could tell the professor really loved to teach. I was lucky enough to be in classes with Mark Leff, Kristin Hoganson, Dave Roediger, Craig Koslofsky, Fred Jaher and my thesis work with Adrian Burgos. All those professors not only loved history, but it was obvious they loved teaching as well. This really rubbed off on me as a student and it is something I hope I bring to my own classroom.
What do you enjoy about your work?
I love working with young people to showing them varied aspects and perspectives of US history. Teaching high school is consistently challenging but incredibly rewarding.
What does a typical workday look like for you? Also, what is an example of the most interesting aspect of your job?
I teach five, 42-minute classes every day. The most interesting aspect with teaching high school is that you never really know how your day will go. Some lessons that require hours of preparation might sink like a lead balloon while others thrown together last minute are a hit. Something that works in period 2 might not work at all in period 5. There are also different students every year who come to class with a wide range of interests and skills that require me to adapt.
What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing work in your field?
I would tell them to be a history major and if possible, wait to commit to a career in education until after undergrad. You never know what other doors might open in your undergrad. Make the most of the time at Illinois studying history. I think getting to know so many members of the department – even eating in some of their homes or cat sitting for others – really helped make a large university feel like a small community. I cherish those memories and my time with the history department at Illinois.
What is your proudest achievement?
In 2018 I was named the Teacher of the Year at Niles West High School. Winning the award and being nominated by students was the best accomplishment. Also, every year I get letters from students at the end of the year telling me how much my class meant to them. I wish I would have done this with more of my own high school teachers and history professors at Illinois.