Nina Matthews' Story

Harper’s Unsung Heroes August 2023 Written by Gale Fischer

Following Life’s Winding Path

“God has a perfect plan for us. He never shows it to us all at once, just step by step, because he wants to teach us to walk by faith, not by sight.”

Life is a journey filled with highs, lows, successes and mistakes. Each event experienced and decision made provides a map with ever changing destinations. All of these ventures play a part in determining where one lands in each chapter of life. All landmarks in life are bi-products of choices made but circumstances beyond one’s control also play a role. Learning from these choices and circumstances, and reacting is an ongoing process in each of our personal journeys. This month’s Harper Unsung Hero, Nina Matthews, couldn’t have predicted that she would mentor children at Beadle Lake Elementary or that she would enjoy a career as a teacher for that matter, when she was a  child growing up in the heart of Chicago’s surrounding neighborhoods. She had no inkling that she would become an educator as a seasoned adult, but she is now making a difference for our students here at Harper Creek while also enjoying a high level of personal fulfillment. 

Nina’s unpredictable life journey began in the heart of one of the world’s biggest cities. “I was born in Chicago in 1979. I was raised there, with my family, consisting of two older brothers and two older sisters. We lived on the west side through my thirteenth birthday and then moved to the south side where we remained until I graduated from high school.”

As a child Nina attended one of our nation's largest school districts, quite a contrast from Harper Creek. “I went to Chicago Public Schools. attending William E. Gladstone Elementary which consisted of pre Kindergarten through eighth grade. From there I moved on to Maria Curie High School.”  High School placement for Chicago Public Schools was not as simple as one might think. “As a part of high school for Chicago Public Schools there was an application process to determine where each student was placed. We had to choose majors as well. I chose an art major which was a focus of Maria Curie High School. Each high school was either a magnet or vocational academy.” 

Nina and her siblings were blessed to grow up in a home with both mom and dad which was rare in the neighborhoods where her family resided. “We lived in a poor neighborhood but always had everything that we needed. My dad was employed at the Cass Hotel for over forty years, working maintenance. Mom was a stay at home mom until I was fourteen and then started working at a daycare.”

Despite living in the inner city, Nina’s family produced much of the food that they consumed. “We grew a garden which was not common in our neighborhood. My dad grew up in the south in Mississippi so he had some experience with growing fruits and vegetables. Our strawberry patch was what I remember most. I don’t ever recall my parents buying fruits and vegetables when I was a child.”

The house that Nina and her family lived in during the first half of her childhood had a small yard for nurturing a garden. Despite some of the flaws that the house had it served its purpose for her family. “In our house on the west side we had only one source of reliable water. We didn’t have a car so we accessed public transportation. We were poor but we always had plenty to eat, we always had clothes to wear and we were always clean.”

Her neighborhood had its share of violence but it was just something that she and her siblings were able to deal with. “There were gangs where we lived but my parents were very protective of us so we weren’t allowed to go far from home. I always felt safe despite the violence.”  The transition to a new neighborhood that came early in her teens, brought with it an upgrade in housing accommodations. “When we moved to the south side we transitioned from having a two bedroom house to a five bedroom house. It also came with more reliable water and electricity.”  The move provided new social opportunities for Nina as well. “We started attending church in our new neighborhood. I would say that this helped me to form stronger friendships.”

Nina didn’t participate in many extracurricular activities growing up but did spend some time immersed in jazz. She also developed other interests that she has carried with her. “In fourth grade we took a field trip to the Chicago Field Museum. At that time they had an exhibit for Egyptian History. I became fascinated with Egyptian History at this time and this still remains something that I am interested in today. My dream vacation would be to go to Egypt.”

Chicago is a city filled with activity and culture. Nina has fond memories of what her hometown had to offer. “There were always things to do in Chicago with various festivals. My dad was always fishing from Lake Michigan. We always had fresh fish and every Friday in our house we had fish on the menu.”

Nina and her siblings spent much of the time in the neighborhoods that they grew up in but would also visit downtown. “We accessed most things from our own neighborhood but would visit downtown sometimes. There was so much to do downtown. When I was fifteen I worked as a ticket taker at Soldier Field. There was a program called the Mayor Daily job program. This was a program to get kids off the streets during the summer months and place them in part time jobs. I worked every summer from the age of twelve.”  There was much to occupy their time in the city but Nina would vacation each summer with her mom and siblings. “As a child we would travel by train to Kalamazoo each summer to visit family on Mom’s and Dad’s side.”

Nina began to think about what kind of career she might pursue after high school a few years before graduating. She didn’t have a firm career path that she was seeking and was unsure of how she might be able to pay for college. “As I was growing up I always thought that I would want a career but my parents could not afford to send me to college. I started in the military my junior year with split training because I knew this was a way to pay for college. I was in the military with the National Guard for two years.”  She hoped that she might have a plan after completing her time with the National Guard but was still undecided when this time arrived. She decided a change in residency might give her some time to think about her future. “After finishing my time with the National Guard I began working jobs here and there. When I was nineteen I moved to Battle Creek to live with my older sister and work.” 

Nina had transitioned to a new town with plenty of changes in her present but she was still trying to decide her future. An important piece of the puzzle was on the horizon. “I was working at II Stanley. One day I came to work and another worker, George Matthews,  was there wearing a Chicago Bulls jacket. This became a conversation starter. He said that he grew up in Chicago but I had to do the Chicago test. I had to ask him a few questions for me to confirm that indeed he had spent some time in Chicago. He passed the test with flying colors  and it turned out we grew up within six miles of each other.” Nina and George started dating in 2002, split up but got back together. They were married in 2004.

Nina would soon start a new job at a local trucking company in Battle Creek, a decision which led to another stepping stone to her becoming a teacher. “One day I had mentioned to my boss that I wanted to go to college. He gave me a check for my first semester of school.” After moving to Battle Creek Nina had aspirations of becoming a malpractice attorney. She began taking nursing classes at KCC to become more proficient in the medical field, thinking that this would help in her pursuit of being a malpractice attorney but she soon realized that this was not for her. “I started at KCC again when my boss gave me money for a semester of school taking my gen ed courses while also working on raising my GPA.” 

Nina had an epiphany a semester into her return to KCC that would finally set in motion her future as an educator. “George and I were attending Zion Christian Assembly Church. The pastor asked me to teach some Sunday school classes for kids. After a year of teaching Sunday school I realized  that I wanted to become a teacher.” 

Nina finished up her BA degree at Miller College in Battle Creek. Miller College provided a very enlightening and positive experience for her. “I continued my college education with Miller College, earning an elementary teaching degree. When I started at Miller College I realized that there were not a lot of teachers of color. I was the only person of color  in my program. This motivated me to become a teacher. I appreciate the experience I had at Miller College. I was given opportunities to be in the classroom from day one.”  Nina would become the first on her dad’s side of the family to earn a college degree. Both her mom and dad dropped out of school although her mom would go on to earn her GED. 

Nina began gaining experience as a teacher while still attending Miller College, signing on as a substitute teacher. “My first sub job was at Verona filling in for a Kindergarten teacher. I remained in the Kindergarten position for the remainder of the school year.”  After earning her degree from Miller College Nina would add to her teaching resume, with teaching positions in a variety of classroom settings. “My first teaching position was at Post Franklin working for Nneka Daniels in 2014. I taught there for two years teaching first, third and fifth grade. Battle Creek split their buildings from preK to fifth grade buildings to preK to second grade buildings with 3rd to 5th grade in the remaining elementary buildings. When the split was made I went to A and J Kellogg to teach fourth grade. I later switched back and from fourth to fifth grade.”

After being in the classroom for five years, Nina felt a calling to test the waters in curriculum and instruction. “I went back for my Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Cornerstone College in 2019. There were not any jobs available in Curriculum and Instruction. Last year a summer school opportunity came up at Valley for a principal. I was hired as principal for the summer of 2022. I was hoping that this might segway into a principal job. I had been passed up in the past for jobs in curriculum and instruction because I was needed more in the classroom.”

Nina grew tired of waiting for opportunities to come her way for Battle Creek Public and was ready for a change. “A posting for a job at Beadle Lake came up for first grade. I was becoming frustrated with being passed up for opportunities at Battle Creek so I was ready for a change and took a job at Beadle Lake.” 

Nina feels that the move to Harper Creek has provided a unique opportunity for her. “I feel that coming to Harper Creek as a teacher of color, where there are few minority teachers, has provided an opportunity for my students to experience diversity among the teaching staff.” 

Nina and her husband do not have children of their own and although being a teacher does not provide experiences that are identical to being a parent, being in the classroom has given Nina an opportunity to pass on to our next generation. “Being a teacher allows me to give me a light and a voice for children. I feel fortunate to bring some of my experiences growing up in Chicago, to my students. Teaching is a humbling calling. We make impacts. We may not see these impacts immediately but we do make an impact.” 

Although Nina’s path has not always been clear or predictable her faith has led her to where she is now and will lead her to where she goes in the future. Nina believes a scripture sums up the meaning of her journey. “There is a scripture Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  I have come to realize that all of the things that I have done, all the experiences that I have had, all of the jobs that I have had have made connections with people. The paths that I have taken in my life have led me to where I am now. The path that I have followed has been God’s will.”

Growing up in a small farming community in Iowa I found it fascinating listening to Nina speak of her childhood journey of being raised in Chicago. I have always felt fortunate of my upbringing in a small tight knit community. I believe that this sense of nurturing can be experienced by youth in a variety of settings including small towns, large cities and everything in between. It appears that Nina’s childhood story is very similar to what many of us have experienced in our younger years. Although there are many similarities that we all can draw on from growing up there are many contrasts as well. Being immersed in the daily routine of the big city during her childhood has given Nina a unique set of tools as a teacher here at Harper Creek. The similarities that we share as educators at Harper Creek help to give us a common connection with our differences providing a variety of ways for our students to learn.

If you would like to learn a little more about Nina you can read her book. “I’m just finishing writing a book titled Trusting and Transforming, a book about understanding God’s path for your life. This will be available this summer with Amazon and Barnes and Noble.”