Matthew Salisbury

B.A. in Religious Studies, 2005
Lead Kindergarten Teacher
Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant
Brooklyn, NY

“My adult life began when I walked into my first class at Guilford College,” says educator Matt Salisbury. “It was ‘The History of Religion in America,’ and I really connected to the professor. I ended up taking every class he offered, and I became a Religion major.”

In fact, Matt can tell you in one phrase the life lesson that he learned at Guilford: “See the light in everyone.”

That’s certainly what he’s doing now, discovering and encouraging the light in the students of an academics-focused, all-boys school in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.

It’s a remarkable facility, known for turning at-risk youngsters into high achievers through creating, in the words of Matt’s boss, “an environment where the coolest thing young boys can be is smart.”

Matt found and was placed at the Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant through Teach for America. When he joined TFA after graduating from Guilford College, 18 of the 800 TFA teachers were selected for placement in charter schools. Matt was one of the 18, and he was sent to this school, but at a different location.

“We started this school on the 3rd floor of the Tabernacle Church in Brooklyn,” he said, “and I commuted to Brooklyn from Manhattan every day. Now we’re in this terrific renovated building, and I’ve moved to a beautiful, tree-lined street in Brooklyn — a 15-minute bike ride away.”

Matt belongs at this school because the mission is clear and pure:
Address the achievement gap that separates poor, inner-city, children from wealthier children, and turn the urban boys into academic achievers.

Each of the classrooms is named for a college — Columbia, Morehouse, Harvard, Howard. And the boys — all attired in dark slacks, button-down shirts and blue ties — are called “scholars.” Every classroom door displays teachers’ names and photos along with a mention, in big block letters, of their alma maters. These are little boys, but they are being prepared to enter, succeed in, and graduate from outstanding college preparatory high schools and colleges.

Matt serves as a role model and a teacher who places a focus on scholarship, academics, intellectual achievement, professional success. “These boys start their day here at 7:30 a.m., and they finish around 4:30. Then many of them have sessions with tutors until 5:30. They’re here to succeed.”

So is Matt. “There is no doubt in my mind,” Matt says, “that the most important thing in any work is the pursuit of social justice. And for me, education is the most empowering, the most hopeful, area in which to work.”

That’s why Matt plans to stay in education, even after his two-year commitment with TFA is up. He’ll complete his master’s degree in early childhood education from Pace University in NYC in a few months, and no matter what happens after that, he feels it will be in education … probably some aspect of administration.

“That Religion professor at Guilford College gave me such direction,” he says. “Among other things, he encouraged me to spend time studying and working in China [which Matt did], and then he steered me into Teach for America.”

In fact, the professor spent many sessions with Matt. “I went to him after my trip to China, and I told him that I realized I didn’t know what I was doing in life. We talked. And talked. And then I knew. It was that simple, actually, and he opened my eyes to it: I needed to be an educator, so now I am!”

Enjoying beautiful skies from the turf field situated on the roof of the Charter School building while looking across the East River to the Manhattan skyline, Matt has this advice for anyone considering going to Guilford College: “Guilford means relationships with powerful people. And here’s what I mean by powerful — those who are absolutely clear about their values. Their priorities in life. That is a priceless gift.”