We recently connected with Matt DeHart and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents demonstrated what it means to serve others before yourself. Being a third-generation educator, I watched my entire family dedicate their lives to the benefit of other people’s children. It was inspiring and still is inspiring for me to see former players and students come up to my parents and call them their parents. To be able to watch excellence every day was such a blessing. When I joined the education field, I wanted to make sure that I was pursuing everything I did for my students with the same passion and excellence on display for me growing up.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a young, revolutionary educator on a mission to help create educational change through intentional and community-centered methods, I founded a nonprofit, the Teach From DeHart Foundation, to provide students with life-changing travel experiences across the United States. The organization is still impacting students across multiple states.

After my second year of teaching, I was named the Greenville County Schools Emerging Teacher of the Year and a Lt. Governor Challenge Medal recipient. I was also named the Face of Teacher Education from my alma mater and the Top 10 Under 10 Year alumni award winner.

Seeing a need for revolutionary education in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania suburb, we are using our nonprofit to create a middle school in the town of Arnold called the Teach From DeHart Academy (TFDA). TFDA will educate the students (5th-8th grade) and their parents through an adult learning program. This whole-family approach is currently the only model nationwide for educating students and parents. The school will open its doors in fall 2025 and revitalize the community through education.

Throughout my work, the part I am most proud of is the lasting impact I have seen on my students. Watching students apply the skills and techniques we practiced daily to their other classes and future grade levels brings me sincere joy. My goal in life is to plant as many seeds as possible, knowing I won’t see all of them come to full growth but realizing that planting a seed is most important.

Our work at Teach From DeHart Academy builds bridges and fills gaps. We are dedicated to utilizing every available resource to deliver an excellent product. This commitment benefits our students, families, and the surrounding community. Regardless of the challenges, we will succeed and find a way forward. That is what Teach From DeHart Academy is all about.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Consistency. Throughout my early years as an educator, I have been filled with ideas and desires to create life-changing opportunities for my students. My unwavering consistency and commitment to my word have set me apart from my peers. When I promised to support a student, I showed up. When I told my students we would travel across the United States, we made it happen. When I announced my plan to open a school in Pennsylvania, I moved to the area a year early to fulfill my commitment and do everything possible to make it a reality. When I say I will accomplish something, I do everything in my power to uphold my word. Consistency is what I strive for every day.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Once I began making some small waves in education, my college basketball coach shared a movie with me called “Waiting for Superman,” which he believed reminded him of me. After watching it, for the first time, I felt a jolt to do something radical and start something that would impact a community.

Taking my students out of the four walls of my classroom and making the world their classroom, impacting students and families alike! It is because of that film, I began to picture what the Teach from DeHart Academy might look like. I still watch it once or twice a year to remind myself of my “why” and where this all started.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.teachfromdehart.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/teachfromdehart
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/TFDHFoundation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-dehart-4b06b4b2/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@teachfromdehartacademy

Image Credits

Sammy Hambright
Fran Smith