"It's Not a Surprise That I Went into Education" 

Matt and kids from PSP on field trip to YMCA
Photo Courtesy of PSP Facebook page

“I always knew that I would work with education and young people. I’ve taught in classrooms, worked with nonprofits, and worked at People Serving People”

Matt Johnson: People Serving People is the largest family shelter in the region. We started in the early 1980s as a men's shelter for substance abuse. As homelessness began impacting more families in the ‘80s, PSP changed its focus to families, and has continued that ever since. Right now, we serve about 350 individuals on a daily basis. We’re able to exist through partnerships with various organizations, our main one being with Hennepin County. We have a contract with them, so families must receive a redeemable voucher through them each week in order to stay here. Currently, we have 99 emergency shelter rooms, as well as 10 supportive housing units. Each room can fit one regular sized family, or two small families.

Photo Courtesy of PeopleServingPeople.Org

At People Serving People, I work as the Educational Services Coordinator. My typical responsibilities involve anything that has to do with school-aged children and their families. This ranges from meeting with families and explaining the different programs that we have, to giving new families board games so that they can participate in family game night. I also oversee our K-5 program. For that, we bring in volunteers and they work with the children one-on-one in a classroom. They talk, read, do homework, and play games with the kids. I also help with the program for kids grades 6-12 in which we reach out to different businesses in the community, so that when the kids transition out into the real world, they’ll already have some connections. Finally, I serve on a couple of committees and subcommittees within PSP that focus on different training programs for volunteers and staff.

Finding his Calling
I definitely wanted to be a football player at one point in my life. I was a Dallas Cowboy fan in 3rd grade when they were really good. (laughs). But later in life, I realized that I wanted to work with youth. I gained experience working one-on-one with kids when I coached youth sports in high school. In college, I used my sports background in coaching to graduate with an Exercise and Sports Science degree, with a concentration on strength and conditioning. My goal was to work with young people who wanted to compete and see how far sports could take them. After college, I moved up to the Twin Cities from Milwaukee and got a job at an elementary school. Then, I decided to go back to school to become a teacher. I taught for a few years while I finished my masters in Education at Augsburg College. Then, I got this position. I took a position here because I already knew about People Serving People, and thought that it was a good merge between the non-profit work that I had done before, as well as the classroom work that I was doing at the time.

Realizing his Passion

Growing up, my Mom owned a daycare and my Dad coached and was a special education teacher, so there was definitely some influence from my parents. I’m also from a big family of six kids. Over the years, I’ve made a lot of close connections with teachers because of my Dad, so I guess it’s not a surprise that I went into education. Specifically, I remember 3rd and 4th grade really well. I did not want to be like those teachers who just stood in front of the class and lectured. I wanted to be different. I wanted to be one of those teachers that connected with kids on another level, and hopefully inspired them to follow whatever dreams they had.

I think as far as my family and friends, they’ve always supported my decisions. Especially my wife. She has always known that I had a drive to work with youth, and that I was passionate about working with certain communities and organizations in the city. Although she makes a lot more money than I do (*laughs*), she still is very supportive. Overall, everyone knows my passion for this type of work, so they have all been very encouraging.

Favorite Memories from People Serving People

My favorite part of the job would probably be getting to connect with the kids and their families. When I was in the classroom, I spent so much time with only kids, and I didn’t get the level of parent involvement that I get here at PSP. Also, it can be challenging at times for the families since they are in a such a vulnerable position, so getting the chance to be a support system for them would have to be one of my favorite things as well. A moment that sticks out to me is one time with this family I met awhile back. It was a single father with three children who had recently moved in. We gave them one of our family game packs, which is just a package of board games, puzzles, books, and playing cards. It’s meant to help the family feel welcomed. Anyways, these kids came in with their dad, and when we gave them their pack, they became so excited and thrilled. The looks on their faces were priceless. You never know the family’s story or what they had to leave behind, so seeing their reaction was really cool.

Photo Courtesy of PSP Facebook page

Rewards of the Job
There are many of rewarding parts of my job. I think the first thing that comes to mind is getting to connect with the kids. As you interact with them over time, you begin to build a relationship. For example, many days I’ll make it a point to eat lunch downstairs in the cafeteria. It’s a gratifying moment when you’re sitting there, and the kids run up to you and start telling you about their day. I’ve also had parents in my office expressing their gratitude for what I’ve done for them and their children. It’s nice to see that I’ve created an environment for them where they feel comfortable enough to come and share these things with me. Another rewarding part of my job would be seeing our volunteers who come on a regular basis. I’m always amazed at how they consistently dedicate two and a half hours of their time to come and connect with kids that they may have never even met before. There are so many rewarding parts of my job, so it’s hard to choose just one.

Challenges of the Job

As an educator at PSP, the hardest part is not having the consistency with the child that I would like. In the past, I’d be in a classroom where I’d have a kid for seven or eight hours a day, all year-long. Here, it’s just a small fraction of that, only getting to be with them for an hour or two each day. I can only put so much effort into making this time for them really great, given the small amount of time I get with each kid.

What the Future Holds
I don’t think that I’ll stay in a certain spot. I’ve always known that I would work with education and young people. I’ve taught in classrooms, worked with nonprofits, and worked at People Serving People. But you never know what could happen. My career may lead me to working at another place like PSP, or possibly being back in the classroom. I’ve now been out of the classroom for two years. I have that desire to go back there, but I think that I would miss a lot of the components that I get at a place like this. However, I definitely see myself staying involved with organizations like PSP, whether it be with financial contributions, volunteering, or serving on a board. I just think my career is with youth and education, so wherever I’m able to do that is where I’m going to take a job.