Mr. Mathis: The Smile that Lights up the Halls

Mr.Mathis has been teaching at Galloway for 48 years. He is an institution at the Galloway School. Every day when he comes to school, he lights up the hallways with his magnificent smile. I feel lucky to have had the privilege of interviewing him about his time at Galloway. Since Mr.Mathis has been teaching at this school for such a long time, he worked with Mr.Galloway. He described him as a very busy man who loved teaching kids and was very good at supporting them through challenges. One of the first questions I asked Mr.Mathis was, “What has made you want to stay at Galloway for so long?” he said how during his first year, he had taught at two schools, that were both southern independent schools. They had a dress code, an honor code, and were “pretty buttoned down, pretty conservative”. When he first walked onto the Galloway campus, he said he noticed six infractions if he were at his other school. There were kids with hair that would’ve been considered too long, shoes that weren’t fancy enough, or they weren’t wearing uniforms. He mentioned how he loved that kids could be themselves and be able to express themselves. Once Mr.Galloway offered him a job, after two weeks he fell in love with the students, how they constantly “peppered” him with questions in class. Which really showed him how the kids wanted to learn. At Mr.Mathis’ old school, he said, “The kids looked great, but they were unhappy. They really didn’t enjoy being there, and the boys’ bathroom was full of graffiti. The graffiti aimed at the harsh control of the school”. He recalled that he never saw graffiti in the restrooms or around the school like he did at his other schools. Since Mr.Mathis has been teaching at Galloway for such a long time, I knew there had to be a difficult moment throughout his teaching career. He said how Ms.McCrary dying was so difficult for him considering they “worked hand in glove together”. She was a kid magnet who would take them on trips, sponsor student association, how she did great things for student life, and how “everything she touched turned to gold”. He also mentioned how lucky Galloway was to have her work here for 26 years, and how she stayed even when she was considering leaving. Mr.Mathis has been teaching at Galloway for almost five decades, and through that time, he has had the privilege of teaching many kids and their parents. He mentioned how he had noticed similar mannerisms between the kids and their parents, and one was how they had their hair styled, or how they hold themselves in class. He was very proud of the fact that 28 alumni send their kids to Galloway currently, and out of those 28 alumni there are 38 students here, whose parents went here. Walking around the school before the interview, I was bragging that I had the opportunity to interview Mr.Mathis, and many kids said he resembled Galloway and they called him Mr.Galloway. I found it interesting that kids said he resembled Galloway in a way that no other person has, and decided to ask him about that. He was very humble, and said how he was “embarrassed” by it. He began to name other people who have represented Galloway the same way he has. A few of the names he gave were Mrs.Landers, Ms.McCrary, and others. He said, “Galloway is like a quilt, and maybe I’m one square, but there are other people who make up the quilt”. Instead of agreeing with me that he is Mr.Galloway, he created one of the best mental images and made me realize that there are many pieces to a puzzle, and that is what makes Galloway so special. There isn’t just one person who makes Galloway more special than others do; it’s the whole community that is full of friendship, happiness, and last but not least, people like Mr.Mathis who bring a special joy and energy to this school.