It’s 9:30 a.m. on a Monday morning, and Starbursts fly across Advanced Placement (AP) World History teacher Misty Matthews’s room as students answer questions rapidly. Up and down, left and right, Starbursts soar through the classroom as students eagerly raise their hands to answer history questions, hopefully in reward of a sweet treat. The room fills with a warm and fun environment, one students will remember forever.

“Ms. Matthews is a super engaging teacher, [because of her] learning about history has become more and more fun,” Apple Ma ‘28 said. “History is one of my hardest classes but because she does fun activities in class that structure our learning like candy questions and partner discussion, I really value the time I have in her class.”

Ms. Matthews is one of the two AP World History teachers, educating alongside first-year history teacher Michael Allison. She has been teaching at Westwood for over 15 years, creating a legacy by dedicating her craft to immersing students in historical experiences and leaving them reminiscing about the joys of her class.

“My favorite memories from Ms. Matthews’s class were all her lessons,” former AP World History student Yonnie Yang ‘27 said. “I remember she enacted a whole scene about Russia with so much energy that I couldn’t help laughing through the whole lesson. One time the power went out, so she couldn’t see her slides, but she went on teaching as if nothing had happened. Overall, she’s just so inspiring, engaging, and fun. I always had a blast in her class.”

Recounting the world centuries ago wasn’t Ms. Matthews’s initial dream, though. Before the history books, it was the dance floor. The pirouette came long before the fall of Constantinople, and thus Ms. Matthews started off as an avid dancer. Dancing throughout adolescence alongside serving as major for her Kilgore Junior College’s drill team for dance, Ms. Matthews has been setting the stage for a long time.

“I did really well in dance, like [I was] on the school drill team and things like that,” Ms. Matthews said. “Then, I did it in college, so I was sure that that’s what I would do.”

As early as high school, Ms. Matthews knew she wanted to be a drill team director and teach math. In addition to her dance talent, she was skilled at math, something she credits to her father, who was a math major. With this path laid before her, she never contemplated that she would consider teaching history.

“Math was relatively easy [for me growing up],” Ms. Matthews said. “It was a subject that made sense. I could always help my peers, like talking them through things in a way that maybe the teacher couldn’t explain.”

Ms. Matthews excelled so well in math that she tested out of every top math class offered at her college. Thus, she began taking multiple history classes as a substitute, kickstarting her journey in the past’s stories.

“I only had to take one math class because I was placed out of all the other ones, and somehow my professors talked me into taking precalculus instead of an easy math class,” Ms. Matthews said. “I’m glad they did, because it changed my career path. That year, I had my first good history teacher.”

Growing up, Ms. Matthews’s mother was a history minor, often chronicling historical stories. Although the tales excited Ms. Matthews, she never thought that one day, she would tell the stories to another set of children. Her history college professor played a pivotal role in harnessing Ms. Matthews’s love for history, influencing her choice to change career trajectory.

“I really liked having him as a teacher, and therefore I really started enjoying history,” Ms. Matthews said. “I started taking more history classes because I didn’t need any more math classes. That’s when I decided that I would rather teach history.”

After graduating from college, Ms. Matthews moved from East Texas to Austin, Texas, and started teaching at Crockett High School. There, she instructed the drill team alongside teaching on-level World History. However, it was only a matter of time before she discovered Westwood.

“We moved to North Austin because I wanted my children to go to Westwood,” Ms. Matthews said. “I drove by Westwood and asked [former Principal Rebecca Donald] and I asked if they had a job opportunity. Then, she asked if I would be okay with not [teaching] dance and just teaching history.”

Since 2010, Ms. Matthews has taught at Westwood as a World History teacher. While some would connote a history class with textbooks and heavy memorization, Ms. Matthews thinks otherwise. For Ms. Matthews, the history classroom serves as a stage to act and storytell. Although unorthodox, such memories and lessons lay engraved in students’ minds.

“I love storytelling. I love acting things out,” Ms. Matthews said. “I love whenever I get a chance to act out something. I love that aspect [of history] of acting things out, [and] I love thinking about what people were thinking at the time.”

One classic tradition in Ms. Matthews’s class that sticks with students after the course is the Starburst candy questions. With each question that students correctly answer, Starbursts fly in the air as a reward. Through such forms of teaching, students are given a greater incentive to study.

“When I was in college there were a couple things that stuck out to me, for example, I had a teacher that gave me really good tips that I still use,” Ms. Matthews said. “He suggested a reward system, and so I was like, Starburst, that’s perfect because it doesn’t melt. When I taught at Crockett High School in South Austin I noticed it actually helped with test scores, it really made that difference.”

Bringing learning to life, Ms. Matthews transforms textbook lessons into real-world experiences by recounting personal stories of various destinations she has been to. Referred to by some students as a classic tale is Ms. Matthews’s story of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, located in Istanbul, Turkey.

“For my 20th anniversary, I went to Istanbul because that was my number one destination. In fact, all my students always knew that that was my goal,” Ms. Matthews said. “I think it’s always good to see the outside world. I think it’s good for all of us as humans to see that things are different.”

In the pursuit of teaching history to young minds, Ms. Matthews finds it important to incorporate real-world events in her curriculum, highlighting the significance of staying up-to-date with local events while connecting and observe the world around them.

“Teaching history is a mission in general and I think it’s so interesting,” Ms. Matthews said, “There’s been a few times, you know, when things are happening. I really try not to deviate, but sometimes big things happen and it’s like we just have to stop and address this [topic].”

Through incorporating such important geopolitical events, Ms. Matthews recounts how over the years there have been changes in students’ opinion over time. However, Ms. Matthews finds it vital to let students know facts, and form their own opinions.

“I first started [teaching] at Westwood around 2010 and kids would’ve all felt a certain way but now it’s way different,” Ms. Matthews said. “Sometimes it’s divided and it’s interesting how things have changed, but I have to do my best to teach facts. I let the kids take a stand and support it with facts. You can have different opinions, but you need to support it with facts. Facts are a big part of forming opinions.”

As the years pass by, Ms. Matthews’s legacy in teaching history precedes her. From throwing Starbursts to visiting the Hagia Sophia, she exemplifies her love for teaching by venturing beyond the whiteboard, connecting with students through infectious enthusiasm and incorporating history’s theatrics.

“She brought so much positivity into the classroom, and that mindset really stuck with me,” former AP World History student Mina Stephens ‘26 said. “Because of her, I try to approach my own life with more optimism. Ms. Matthews taught me to always believe in myself, even when things get tough.”