Three former McNeal Elementary students return as educators

A student support specialist at Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary, Lillian Matazinski was in the lunch room last August when she passed by a substitute who had a familiar face.

But she couldn’t put her finger on who he was.

“I'm standing there, I'm looking at him, and I’m sure it is pretty awkward,” Matazinski said. “It's that hard stare, and then I could see it in his eyes.”

Matazinski racked her brain for another hour, and asked around if anyone knew his name to confirm her suspicion. She then went through old yearbooks and found a picture of Zachary McClellan, who was a former third grade student she knew from the playground. She made a photocopy of the photo and handed it to him at recess.

“She actually gave it to me when I was subbing, and I was at recess,” McClellan said. “I was shocked when she showed me. I was a little nervous to acknowledge her because it was like being star struck by one of your favorite teachers.”

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There are three staff members at McNeal who were once students walking the same hallways. McClellan, who now works as a para educator, is working toward his elementary education degree. Bella Rubal teaches first grade students and Makenzie Legg teaches fourth grade. All three of them have parents who pursued education as well.

Matazinski had both McClellan and Rubal when they were in third grade, and she said they still have the same essence, core values and work ethic.

“You could always see how conscientious they were as kids and how caring,” Matazinski said. “They just had a way of being dynamic leaders, even within their peer group, and were able to build on those relationships and help others.”

Rubal said she has wanted to be a teacher since middle school. By chance, her student teaching assignment was at McNeal, which led to a full time position.

“It's cool to see just how much love and care goes into our happy memories,” Rubal said. “Now I'm doing the same thing.”

Rubal said she has always been organized and meticulous, even as a student. She said it has been interesting as a teacher to see students struggle with perfectionism, as she did before as well.

“It's definitely affected how I speak in my classroom and how I talk to my students,” Rubal said. “Grades are not the end of the world and it's okay if you don't get 100%. I make sure I'm not putting too much pressure on my students, because I put a lot of pressure on myself as a kid.”

Matazinski said working alongside her former students has been seamless — it was never awkward — instead it was met with enthusiasm and joy.

McClellan said he remembered Matazinski vividly as a teacher and enjoys seeing the other side of her as a colleague.

“She's an insanely cool person, super nice, super sweet,” McClellan said. “Seeing her switch in real time from teacher mode into just having a conversation about what's going on is so cool.”

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McClellan said there is a good sense of community at McNeal, which is probably the reason some of the same teachers that he had as a kid are still teaching there. McClellan said the staff has been supportive and willing to jump into whatever he needs in terms of assistance.

“They have such a wealth of knowledge, especially being at the school and working in this area, that they understand the students very well,” McClellan said. “They understand the parents very well. They've seen just about every situation you could think of, and I’m listening and sponging up all that information.”

Legg said none of the teachers she had at McNeal are still there, but she still reflects on her experience. She said teaching is about more than the curriculum, and the emotional wellbeing and behavior management of her students are things that she greatly values.

“Something that's important to me now as a teacher is building relationships with my own students,” Legg said. “It was something I experienced as a kid, and now something I try hard to do.”

Legg said it is important for students who might want to become educators in the future to find a good support system, including educators who truly love teaching to provide motivation and inspiration.

McClellan said teaching the fundamentals such as adding and subtracting have a real impact on who the students will be as adults.

“Find that passion and keep it because it's so strong seeing your ability to change small minds into actual comprehendible human beings that can function in society,” McClellan said.

“We always say, ‘Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat,’” Matazinski said. “Even though I've left to explore my career and grow in different capacities, and that required me leaving to get different experiences, I've always come back to my home. It's cool that I have former students coming back.”