CEDAR HILL, Texas — For every fifth grader who ends up in Matthew Gaines' science class at Lake Ridge Elementary in Cedar Hill, there’s always a catch.
At least, they hope there’s a catch.
Every week, Gaines, who fishes competitively in his free time, leads his students to the pond across the street and teaches them to fish.
He even started a fishing club and often gets help from his wife.
The kids say he’s a great teacher, which is quite surprising considering he was such a bad student.
“I was a C, D, sometimes F student,” Gaines said. “I had 17 detentions my junior year of high school.”
Gaines says he was lost, with no direction, until a couple teachers pulled him aside and convinced him of his potential.
“They just gave me a second chance and that’s all I needed,” Gaines said. “And I feel like now that I was that kid, I can kind of help kids through that that walk through my doors.”
That’s why he invests so much in his students.
Every kid who walks through the door leaves with a brand-new fishing pole and a lesson.
“He’s teaching us how to be patient and that might help some of us in the real world being patient for important things,” fifth grader Minh Doan said.
“Most teachers nowadays don’t really take the time do to that,” said fifth grader Sofia Hipolito. “And so, the fact that he has time, I think that makes him a great teacher.”
Whenever a student catches a fish, Gaines takes two pictures, one to send home and another to keep in his classroom.
It means a lot to these kids.
And it means even more to Gaines.
“They don’t even understand, it’s almost like therapy for me and they just get to have fun,” Gaines said.
Gaines grew up fishing every weekend with his dad. After his dad died, he didn’t want to be anywhere near the water, until he realized fishing with his students was a way to honor his dad.
“By teaching it to the kids, it’s almost like he’s still around,” Gaines said.
If he was around, he’d be proud to know his fishing buddy is a finalist for Cedar Hill ISD’s STEM teacher of the year.
Gaines says the students and the job is more than he could’ve ever dreamed.
“I don’t know how to express how grateful I am,” Gaines said. “It’s just amazing that I have the opportunity to do what I do. I can’t imagine it being any better.”
After years of fishing for a purpose, he’s finally landed a keeper.