Matthew Roach

In my career, first at Hotchkiss School and then, since 2009, at Peddie School, I first found joy and purpose in bringing daily energy and passion to my own classroom. Within a class environment, every interaction is an opportunity for learning, growth, and intellectual inquiry. I have developed 15 distinct English courses at Peddie, with curriculums focusing on writers as distinct as Leo Tolstoy, Italo Calvino, Colson Whitehead, Jesmyn Ward, and Elena Ferrante, to name a few favorites. These courses have emerged from my own scholarship and interests, but also from a sense of what texts and classes would best serve student interests and spark excitement in learning.

In each dimension of my teaching, I have been motivated by the conviction that classes must be places of enthusiasm, joy, and a belief in the importance of igniting sparks of creativity and intellectual curiosity from every student. I believe in close reading, sharp writing, analysis, and discourse, and a playful but rigorous classroom environment.