Enlightened in math and more

Mr. Paul Meihaus has taught in many different schools over the years, but Armijo has been the school that he decided to stay with. As he begins his 22nd year this fall, he is ready to keep teaching the subject he is passionate about: mathematics.

Over the years, Mr. Meihaus has taught Math 1 and 1a, Algebra 2 and Integrated Math 2, including Geometry, but he didn’t start out intending to be a teacher.

“There was a demand for math teachers when I started in the late ‘90’s” he said. “In 1998 I taught Summer School and I found that there was a need for math teachers. In my 40’s I suddenly had an interest and I began teaching.

“I was really curious about the subject and when I was helping students they had lots of questions so I decided to go back to school,” he said. “I got some coursework done in math so I could get my credential and along the way I found that I enjoyed the subject and even though I didn’t study it in college I began teaching so I knew that I could find a job in math if I stuck with it.”

Mr. Meihaus came to Armijo in 2004 and, in all that time, he has noticed changes in the subject, and the students. “I’ve noticed that math is a tough subject for most and it’s demanding on students, so if they need the support. I am here to help meet their education needs and enlighten them on the subject,” he said.

“Students sometimes don’t get the best instruction from where they were before — maybe in middle school — or they don’t remember the material so I attempt to help them get to where they need to be and pass the course.”

Mr. Meihaus has found many reasons to stay at Armijo, even though he has a long commute every day. “I just love the school and the kids that are here, the diversity and being able to work with different administrators that are really great,” he said. “I feel very happy with my work environment but teaching is a challenge. It’s a challenging job and
the students have good questions when they’re open-minded to asking questions. I get a lot of challenging questions and I’ve learned over the years how to answer them in the best way possible.”

In his spare time, Mr. Meihaus enjoys watching sports and reading different kinds of books such as math books and theological works.