Government teacher grateful for getting ‘gentle push’ into career
Andrew Magness kind of stumbled into teaching.
“I thought I was going to be a lawyer or someone who made money,” said the 32-year-old Valley High School government teacher who studied history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
That was until he met his future wife, Brooke, who thought Magness had a quality about him and gave him “a gentle push” into teaching.
Turns out she was right.
Magness, who has taught at Valley for eight years, was named Clark County’s Educator of the Month for February.
The program, sponsored by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Sierra Nevada College, chose Magness from nominations submitted at reviewjournal.com under a link for “Contests and Promotions.” A panel that includes members of the Clark County School Board, the Public Education Foundation and Teach for America chooses the monthly winner.
Magness’ wife wasn’t the only influence that nudged him toward teaching as a career choice.
“I started thinking about the people I looked up to,” he said. Besides his parents, Magness thought of Scott Ginger, his speech and debate coach at Green Valley High School.
Magness realized teachers can make a “tangible difference” in the lives of students, as Ginger had done for him.
Magness, who teaches mostly seniors taking advanced placement and regular government classes, said he enjoys showing his students how to develop their political ideas and personal experiences into an opinion they can be confident about.
Understanding government and political ideas is more about understanding “how you feel inside” than it is about memorizing facts, he said. His classes feature Socratic method seminars as students debate current events, such as the war in Iraq or racial divisiveness in Ferguson, Mo.
And Magness doesn’t change his approach from his advanced classes to his regular classes.
“It’s the same rigor,” he said. “I let them know I’m not going to give up on them if they don’t show up. I’m going to drag them across that graduation stage.”
Valley Principal Ramona Esparza described Magness as passionate, adding he has something more. “He really connects with his students. Andrew is very dynamic. He’s relatable,” Esparza said.
The principal called Magness a true 21st century teacher in the way he integrates social media into educating his students.
“He speaks their language,” Esparza said. “He provides access to all students at every level.”
It’s not just students that Magness connects with. Esparza takes pride in the teacher collaboration happening at her school, which includes making time for staff to confer and exchange ideas on how best to educate students. Magness isn’t a lone wolf. “He’s a collaborator and that makes him a better teacher,” she said.
As he reflects back on his time at UNLV and whether he made the right choice to pass on a lucrative career in law to be a teacher, Magness has no doubts. He recalled conversations with friends who chose that route and how miserable they tell him they are every day at work.
His friends may drive more expensive cars to work — he drives a Ford Fusion — but he’s happy.
“I value happiness in my job. I know it sounds crazy, but I love coming to work everyday,” he said.
Contact Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Find him on Twitter: @fjmccabe
