Second-year Manhattan teacher Joey Anderson takes on middle school with a smile, while navigating the challenges of a new career in education

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Living with two post-college roommates who both work from home, 24-year-old Joey Anderson’s daily routine as a second-year middle school teacher at Manhattan Middle School looks a lot different from those of his peers.

While his roommates may be able to roll out of bed late and stay home on a cold day, Anderson takes the bus or rides his bike most days to be ready for his classes of 6th and 8th graders waiting for him each morning.

“I don’t have any other friends my age who chose to work in education, so they can’t relate to my work but they love to hear about my job—working at a school is definitely more eventful,” Anderson says.

Although a career in teaching can be demanding, Anderson said he never wanted his job to entail looking at a computer screen all day.

From South Park to CU to New Vista High School

Anderson attended middle and high school in Fairplay, Colorado— his 2019 graduating class at South Park High had less than 40 students. Even in high school, Anderson seemed to know he wanted to be a teacher.

“I always liked school, and I had a lot of great teachers, so it was always something I was interested in trying,” says Anderson.

He left his hometown of Fairplay to attend the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, majoring in Education and History. The big campus and city of Boulder was an attraction, “I was definitely ready to disappear a little bit and figure it out on my own after being with the same classmates since 5th grade.”

Like many other students, a wrench in his plan came when the COVID pandemic arrived and all of his CU courses moved online for nearly two years. 

“I thought about taking a year off or leaving Boulder for a while,” said Anderson. But he stayed in his Boulder apartment across the street from New Vista High School where he was assigned to begin his teaching practicum virtually.

“The New Vista teacher I was studying with taught his virtual high school classes from his classroom and since I lived next door, I started coming in and we would sit on opposite sides of the room while he taught.”

One of the pieces of advice his New Vista mentor gave him was to begin looking at teacher job listings online to research what to expect when applying. In the process, Anderson saw an opening for a custodian at the same high school.

“I was looking for a part-time job, and was already at the school most days.” Anderson began working as a night custodian at New Vista in the fall of 2020. The building was mostly quiet as school was still virtual and only some teachers were using the building daily.

Anderson was simultaneously earning his teaching license and became an occasional substitute at New Vista. 

“I would do my schoolwork, sub or attend my practicum at New Vista during the day, and then work there as a custodian at night.”

Having spent many hours at the school Anderson says, “New Vista will always have a soft spot for me, it was very formative and is a unique place in the way they teach and students are engaged.”

Landing the job

Post-graduation he got his first teaching position at North Arvada Middle School in Jefferson County. 

“My first year was overwhelming until I got used to working with middle school students—that was definitely a learning curve.” 

Then this past August of 2024, he found a job back in BVSD. This time as a 6th and 8th language arts teacher at Manhattan Middle School. He says Manhattan reminds him of New Vista in the way it feels particularly inclusive, and fosters and encourages creativity in its students.

He enjoys teaching language arts and structures his class in a way that they are writing with paper and pencil for assignments and reflection as much as they can. 

“I find when they have the computer open they’re much more distracted and not as present with the material,” says Anderson. He has large shelves of binders housing the written assignments and projects for his 140 students across the two grade levels.

In class, he prioritizes time to make individual connections to ask and answer questions, hear student ideas and encourage progress.

“Language arts is more open-ended and fun, which students seem to enjoy and connect with,” says Anderson. “I love hearing the student discussions and ideas in class.”

He’s found the drastic differences between his 6th and 8th grade students one of the hardest parts to manage. “I’ve had to learn how to differently approach those grades— 6th graders are brand new to middle school and 8th graders are pushing the envelope,” he says. “Their needs are very different. What works with my 8th graders doesn’t typically work for my 6th graders and vice versa.”

His favorite part of the job is relationship-building with students and lesson planning. “Each student is unique so I like to make time for individualized support along with managing the class as a whole toward our goals.”

Feeling at home

With his first year at Manhattan and second year as a teacher almost completed, Anderson is starting to feel at home in the role. 

“I’m really happy here and even though I’m only in my second year, I see it as having double the experience I did last year,” he shared. “I feel like I’ve found a place I can stay and grow for a while.”

Manhattan principal Kristen Lewis says of Anderson’s first year at the school, “He is in his second year of teaching, and his first one in BVSD, and has been absolutely rocking it.”

She says Anderson is not only an amazing classroom teacher, but is also an integral part of supporting the Manhattan students and community. He serves as a member of the school’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) team, and next year will become one of the school’s 360 and National History Day Teacher Leaders.

Anderson will also be attending the UnBoundEd Standards Institute this summer, representing Manhattan with a few other teachers. 

“He is always willing to do the hard work to reach his professional goals and wants to provide his students with a fun, equitable, and supportive learning experience,” says Lewis. “It is just a joy to have at MMS.”

A bright future ahead

Anderson says the professional development offered by the school and the district, and the other experienced teachers at his school are assets to his learning.

“I’m excited to go to the conference this summer, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to gain some new resources and skills,” he shared. 

He also says the teachers at Manhattan are a part of his success, “there’s a lot of really experienced teachers here and everyone is friendly and mentoring.”

His future plans include considering a graduate degree back at the CU School of Education, (BVSD teachers receive a partial tuition reimbursement for graduate courses). And possibly a future in administration in a school.

“I like where I am for now, but I could see myself doing education admin someday,” he shared. “I am interested in how schools balance the 20 spinning plates at any given moment."