Get to know Mr. Wiest, one of our Grade 5 Teachers.

Introduce yourself in one sentence, please.

My name is Matthew Wiest, I am a father, a husband, a teacher, and a Third Culture Kid.

How long have you been at AAS?

I am concluding my third year.

Share something we do not expect to hear from you?

While now I have a hard time touching my toes, I am a fourth-degree blackbelt in Taekwondo.

What do you love most about your job?

Few people get paid to do what they love. I do.

What would you be if you weren’t a teacher?

I love wildlife (I went to Elementary School in Kenya), so maybe I could carry the camera bags on National Geographic expeditions particularly if they involve leopards, my favorite animal.

What is the most important thing one has to learn at school?

Honesty. Honesty with yourself and others grows everything else: academic, social, and emotional.

What would you say to your 13-year-old self?

Don’t do that!

Please recommend a book to read

Hmmm, well anything by Kate Dicamillo is good, but if I had to recommend one book I would choose two, The Tale of Despereaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

For an older audience, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is an amazing true story of resilience and human capacity.