WiNK

Meet A New Teacher: Mr. Nelson

by: Alexandra Kriegel

Every school year Wooster gains new members of our community. Many of them are students, but in this series, I will be introducing you to the 12 new faculty and staff members of our community. To kick off the series I will be introducing Mr. Nelson who is an upper school math teacher.

Why did you come to Wooster?

• I was attracted to Wooster because it allows me to teach what I think is important for Mathematics! I struggled with math when I was in high school and really only fell in love with it during college. I want to share how I fell in love with it without having to cover tons of standards.

Where were you before Wooster?

• I was working at a ski and bike shop in Holyoke, MA last year as a ski technician! If you need to talk gear you can always come to me - I am a self-identified gear head. Before that, I spent 5 years teaching math, coaching soccer and lacrosse, and being a dorm parent at boarding schools.

What do you teach?

• This year I teach College Algebra w/ Trig and Honors Precalculus.

Where are you from?

• I was born in Washington DC and raised in the suburbs (Arlington, VA).

Where did you attend college?

• I went to a wonderful small Quaker college called Earlham in Richmond, Indiana!

What's one interesting fact about yourself?

• Riding motorcycles is a new passion of mine. I won the Super Smash Bros Melee tournament at my college! Oh, and I played Ultimate Frisbee from 6th grade through college - I still miss playing.

Do you have any hobbies or activities you enjoy?

• I am a huge gamer, so I love sitting and playing. But I also love hiking and the outdoors. Sadly, I haven't found a way to connect the two. I also love sitting down and listening to an album.

Do you have any pets?

• I have a wonderful lab/pit mix named Paisley that me and my partner adopted during the pandemic. She's the sweetest dog I've ever met.

What are you looking forward to now that you are at Wooster?

• Getting our Ultimate Frisbee team to win States!

Who's your favorite music artist and do you have a favorite genre of music?

• Definitely don't have a single favorite artist, but I am almost always listening to something new! My favorite genres are shoegaze, progressive rock, abstract hip hop, electronic, technical death metal, and classic rock.

What's your favorite food?

• Freshly cooked fish, beautiful and fresh veggies, and a nice creamy sauce.

What was your favorite subject when you were in school?

• I took a class on the Simpsons and I loved that.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you travel?

• I love to go skiing in Japan! They have some of the best snow in the world.

Do you watch any sports and if so what are your favorite sports teams?

• I love following the NBA although I don't have a favorite team. I am really curious to see if Russell Westbrook will still be in the league in a few years (I don't think any teams are going to want to take on his style of basketball). If he accepts the 6th man role, I think he could have a much longer career.

Who inspired you to become a teacher?

• Martha, who was my math professor in college. She changed the way I viewed the world.