MENLO SCHOOL • SINCE 1915

Matthew Nelson

Pronouns: he/him/his

Upper School History

History Teacher and Junior Class Dean

Biography

I joined Menlo after teaching Theology at the Woodside Priory School for seven years and serving as its Department Chair for two. Drawing upon my experience teaching for over a decade, I invite students to join me on a meaning-making voyage to inquire about the history of ideas. Leaving no stone unturned, we investigate histories, philosophies, wisdom traditions, literatures, and social sciences to pursue that elusive but eminently attainable truth of our world and our place in it. In doing so, students unite with me to knit mind and soul to these great inquiries in order to inspire in us greater self-knowledge, civic engagement, spiritual enlightenment, and social justice. I teach junior-senior history electives including: Swords & Ploughshares: Theories & Histories of (Non-)Violence; Modern Political Rhetoric; Global Issues for Global Citizens; and Contemporary American Issues. Believing that experiential education is a powerful mode of learning, I also lead the Menlo Abroad trips to India and Senegal. Additionally, being committed to the whole student experience, I serve as the Sophomore Class Coordinator.

I came to teaching after earning my double BA in communication arts and theology, and my Master of Divinity degree in the study of the history of religion and ethics from Harvard University. Currently, I am pursuing the Master of Liberal Arts degree at Stanford University, focusing on postcolonial history and global studies.  

My husband and I call our loft in West Oakland home. And the Bay Area writ large provides a playground for cycling, hiking, skiing, running, reading, and cooking.