For the last nine years, Matthew Dixon has had a different morning routine than most teachers.
“I would get up at dawn patrol, go surf from 5:30 to 7:00, get dressed and go straight to work,” Dixon said. “Not being able to surf has been the biggest adjustment about coming to Chapel Hill.”
Dixon, born and raised in Currituck, North Carolina, moved to Chapel Hill this summer to be a resource teacher assistant at Chapel Hill High School.
Before arriving this fall, Dixon was the physical education teacher and athletic director at Currituck County Middle School. He held the positions from 2010–2018 and has been involved in education since 2008, when he began as a teacher assistant and a mentor for a self-contained classroom.
Being a resource teacher has a special significance for Dixon.
“I was always the one who flew under the radar; growing up I had a speech impediment, and I had a hard time learning in the classroom, ” Dixon said. “I can now help kids who were like me. Being in this support role has made me a better person.”
At Chapel Hill High School, Dixon mainly assists teachers in the science department, though he helps teach one American history class.
“I give extra support to students in the classroom with things like study materials, organization and content,” Dixon said. “If they miss a day, I help them catch up.”
Dixon will be the assistant coach of Chapel Hill’s varsity women’s basketball team this winter. He was the varsity women’s basketball coach at Currituck County High School for five years.
Part of the reason why Dixon moved here was the quality of education in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. “A big part of our decision to move to Chapel Hill was to get my seven-year-old son in the schools here,” Dixon said.
Having lived on the Outer Banks for most of his life, Dixon has had to get acclimated to life in Chapel Hill.
“Currituck is very country. The good thing about Chapel Hill is there are points that remind me of my hometown, like Pittsboro and Chatham County,” he said.
Since he is no longer able to surf, Dixon has found other hobbies.
“I have found a couple open gyms to play at. I like to eat, so I’ve been going to restaurants constantly,” Dixon said. “I like Linda’s and Hops a lot, and Imbibe is a cool place.”
In the future, Dixon would like to hold a similar role to the one he had in Currituck.
“I want to get back into teaching physical education; that’s what my degree is in,” Dixon said,“but I’m in the classroom, I’m on the court coaching and I’m in a great school, so I’m pretty much content.”
