Morrow House math teacher David Messler makes learning about fractions, ratios, linear equations, polynomials, and number theory fun!
“Students come to my class every day fully engaged and ready to learn. My goal is to teach students and help them understand and love math like I do,” he says.
Messler was drawn to math from an early age because of its precision. He loves that math isn’t ambiguous — it’s filled with equations and patterns that always lead to an answer.
He decided to become a math teacher because of his affinity for the subject, and students have long appreciated his charismatic way of teaching it. He’s even been known to draw a crowd!
Messler recalls an instance from his college days when he was in the library tutoring some students on using the definition of a derivative. He began his lesson sitting at a table with just a few, and then more and more asked to join. The group eventually grew so large that they had to relocate and found an area with a chalkboard. As Messler continued, presenting examples and explanations on the board, more joined. By the time the lesson was over, he found that he’d essentially taught a class. Others took note of this, including the coordinator for a program that arranged for juniors or seniors to teach intro-level math classes. She offered him a teaching position on the spot, and he accepted.
Making Math Meaningful
Messler knows that one can acquire many life skills through math; everything students learn can be applied outside of the classroom.
“Math allows you to stretch your mind muscles, think logically, and systematically approach things. It not only strengthens your problem-solving skills but your critical thinking skills as well,” he says.
The most rewarding aspect of his teaching career is when his former students or parents of students come back and, with gratitude, share how much they loved his class and that they felt well-prepared for all that followed in their educational career.
“What still stands out to me today about Mr. Messler is how much he cares about our mastery of the subject and the relationships he has with his students,” says Alex Shapiro ’22, a junior at Saddle River Day School. “Between review games and 20-minute tangent conversations about a single problem, he prioritized our understanding of algebra over the pacing of the year. We didn’t finish a unit until every student understood it.”
“He is so proud of his students’ successes, so I always wanted to push myself,” Shapiro adds. “Running into him recently, I got to tell him how I now take AP Calculus BC as a high school junior and that it was because of the foundations he laid. High school math builds heavily off of topics we learned in middle school, and Mr. Messler made sure he sent us off strong.”
Beyond the Classroom
Messler loves taking on new challenges, even when he’s not teaching math. With an adventurous nature, he will try anything from new foods to activities like spelunking and paintballing. Unsurprisingly, if he had to choose a motto, it would be “embrace challenges.’
Messler’s dedication to his students and his passion for math have helped make him a beloved member of the EMS community, and he notes, having worked at many schools, that EMS is an exceptional place.
“My favorite thing about EMS is the incredible community. The faculty are not only talented and dedicated educators, but they also inspire a genuine love of learning in their students,” he says.
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