New Teacher Feature: Meet Mr. Walz by Grace Hennen

With the new school year, we got a lot of new teachers at Tech. One of these new teachers is Alexander Walz. He teaches Algebra 1.2 and Pre-Algebra 1. I met with him and asked him some questions so that students can get to know him better.

What are you most looking forward to at Tech?

I am looking forward to growing as a professional. I want to get as many experiences as possible and meet as many students as possible. I think the staff here is great so far and they have helped me grow as a teacher already.

How would you describe yourself using three characteristics?

I like to have fun, and I think I’m funny. I love sports; I eat and breathe sports. I’m a Minnesota sports guy, and sports kind of control my mood. I’m very understanding. I can take into consideration what students are going through, speaking as I was in their shoes about six or seven years ago. I understand what is going on. I feel like I am a very understanding guy.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what three things would you bring?

I would need a basketball and a basketball hoop. I would need the biggest book possible. I’m going to carve it out and put a first aid kit, matches, blankets, and another book that I like to read, John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Then my third thing would probably be my black labs, Lily and Oliver.

Did you hear any rumors about Tech before you started here?

Not a lot of rumors I would say. I think people had different opinions on just St. Cloud in general but not really Tech alone. When I came here I made my own opinions and that’s what really matters. I generate my own opinions, and I think Tech is a really great school.

Who is your favorite superhero and why?

I love Marvel first of all. My favorite superhero is probably Iron Man for his use of technology and his brain.

Are you an outdoors person?

I love the outdoors. I go outside all the time. I like to go hiking, long boarding, and camping. I went to college at Winona which is a big outdoors place.

What made you want to become a math teacher?

I think it comes down to my love of math. I think math is used so often, and people don’t realize it. I want people to understand how much we really use math. I had some great teachers growing up that basically treated me as a friend, and that is why I really want to become a teacher. I originally wanted to go into sports journalism, but I realized that I couldn’t write, so I went to my next best. I love numbers. I always grew up playing cards with my grandfather, which is where my love of math came from. I also wanted to get into coaching, and teaching is a way to do that.