About Me

Hello everyone. My name is Matt McMurtry and I am a first year teacher at Manchester Elementary in the Elkhorn school district in Nebraska. I teach fifth grade and so far I have loved every second of it. I have been married for a little over three years and I have an 18 month old boy. My wife and I are also expecting our second child in May. I attended college at Minnesota State University Mankato where I played on the baseball team. I received a bachelor's degree in Sports Management. After college I was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 2006 MLB Draft. Unfortunately baseball didn't work out for me so I moved to Omaha where my wife was attending Pharmacy school. My Sports Management degree wasn't helping me get work in Omaha so I began an online education program to receive my teaching degree in Elementary Education at Western Governors University. Along with staying busy from being a first year teacher and having a young child at home I also coach a 12 year old traveling baseball team. We play approximately 80 games per summer. I thoroughly enjoy teaching and coaching and a big reason why is because the kids are great!
Despite being a rookie teacher I have had quite a few experiences with technology in the classroom. I have always been a PC person but was provided with a MAC and am still trying to become comfortable with how to operate one. It is amazing how different the two really are. I was lucky enough to stumble into a school that believes that technology can play a huge role in student learning. In one of our three fifth grade sections we have a mounted SmartBoard that is fantastic. Also, we have a mobile SmartBoard in the fifth grade wing as well. On top of that, I have my own projector and document camera. The document camera is new to me but its possibilities seem endless. I also have access to a laptop cart with about 25 laptops. These laptops sit right outside my room and are pretty much mine when I want to use them. Our fifth grade team utilizes MyElearning which is a collaborative website that is great. Essentially my students and the parents of my students can view everything that happens all week long just by going to the website. We can also post quizzes, study guides, textbooks, and so much more on their for viewing. Fortunately for me I have used IMovie to create a DVD of persuasive commercials that my students presented in class. I have also had some experience with IPhoto this year. The version of Word that I have access to is Microsoft Word 2008 for a MAC. I believe I also have access to older versions of Word if need be.
One big reason that I chose to continue my education was to try and become a Master Teacher. I know I have so much to learn and so much experience is needed to reach this but I wanted to do it as soon as I could. I didn't feel like it would be fair to my students if I were to put off all of this learning. The more I can learn now the better off my students will be. Because of the fact that I earned my teaching license from an online program I chose Peru State College. I am comfortable with the online process and have heard great things about this program. Another reason I am pursuing this degree is because of the paycheck. I am not going to lie, that did play a role in also determining why I am in school right now. Obviously, the more grad. classes I take the more money I get paid. We all know that at a teachers salary things can be tough at time so why not get as much as you can out of it? My degree is in Curriculum and Instruction and I plan to use this opportunity to learn as much as possible and guide me in fulfilling curriculum expectations and successfully managing a classroom.