For Mr. Matthew Mosser, a life not teaching would be a life not worth living. 

Since Mosser was 22 years old, he has been involved in the teaching profession, acquiring his first job right after college. In his route after high school, he started double majoring in college by taking elementary and special education and by also minoring in English. Soon after, he earned his first experience teaching.

“I obtained my first teaching job after graduating from college at the age of 22, so I have spent a total of 25 years in education. I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to teach at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in that time period. I have taught regular education, self-contained special education classrooms, and co-taught over the course of those years. I also was able to coach wrestling and football early on in my career, before I had two children, Ethan and Allyson. I have taught in the North Penn School District for the past 17 years,” Mosser said.

In North Penn, Mosser has been involved as the Special Education case manager where he helps students who require extra attention. In his last 17 years, he will always remember the students he had the pleasure of helping.

“I will always remember certain students that I was able to develop a very close rapport with.  Teaching is about developing relationships with your students, I would argue as much, or even more important than simply possessing content knowledge. The students need to know that they can come to you, and that you genuinely care about them as individuals. That has always been the most rewarding part of my career,” Mosser explained.

“Having a daughter who will be a senior next year in high school and a son who will be going off to college next year will be a huge adjustment for my wife and myself. Being an “empty nester” gives lots of freedom, however, I think just like being a parent, when you are a teacher, you really are a teacher for life, even if it is outside the realm of the formal educational setting. You need to never stop learning, no matter how old you are, and how many professional degrees you earn. The smartest person in the room knows he still has the most to learn,” Mosser continued.

Teaching for so long comes with many lessons. And one thing Mosser knows is that even the teacher is constantly learning with students.

“I have realized that students in general, now more than ever, require interaction with both their peers and adults to develop meaningful relationships. The online system does not work, except for the very small population that is intrinsically motivated and will turn to YouTube if they are unable to acquire a concept from their own teachers. Developing trust and rapport over the computer is not the best way for anyone to learn, myself included. The hands-on approach that has largely been replaced, such as apprenticeships is always the best way for most people to learn. The more senses that are used, the quicker and longer lasting the material can be remembered and most importantly applied in real life practice until it is mastered. Teaching is very different now than it was 25 years ago,” Mosser explained.

For some, doing something for 25 years might make it seem like the only thing you know to do in life. But for Mosser, this retirement isn’t the end of his journey of constantly advising.

“I plan to manage money full-time in my home office in the role of a financial advisor and day-trader. Managing rental properties, commodities, equities, ETFS, REITS, MLPS, and other alternative asset classes, such as cryptocurrencies and precious metals will be my full-time career. This has been an ongoing passion of mine for a very long time, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to take it on and make this mid-life career change,” Mosser concluded.