Compassionate. Patient. Understanding. Positive. These are the words that Matthew Goldstein’s former students used to describe the late Baker School math teacher.
Goldstein, along with his wife, Lyla, and daughters, Valerie and Violet, passed away over winter break from carbon monoxide poisoning. He is remembered by his former students for being a kind and supportive mentor who went above and beyond in teaching his middle school students, maintaining relationships with many of them long after they graduated.
Sophomore Griffin Dickerhoff was in Goldstein’s eighth grade math class and remembered him for being thoughtful and caring. He valued Goldstein for his compassion towards every student in his class. Despite sometimes dealing with challenging students, Goldstein always kept a smile on his face.
“You can make the dumbest mistake, and he would be there supporting you and making sure you understood the concept, no matter how far behind you are,” Dickerhoff said. “If you knew the concept pretty well, then he would be able to help you push that boundary and would give you a harder problem.”
Dickerhoff moved to Baker in 7th grade and was still catching up in math. He had to study for an outside-of-school exam, and Goldstein helped him every day for a month during lunch and recess so he could catch up and pass the exam.
“He made sure that everyone understood and had a good time. Overall, he made class feel fun, and that’s kind of hard for teachers to do,” Dickerhoff said. “He always came in with a positive attitude and he would take time out of his day and skip breaks to help people to make sure they understood.”
Senior Bridgett Morrissey was in Goldstein’s 5th and 6th grade math classes. Goldstein also tutored Morrissey in 8th grade and all throughout high school. Morrissey said Goldstein’s lighthearted nature made him a great teacher.
“He honestly felt more like a friend, especially towards the end. He was definitely super helpful in terms of math, because that’s my worst subject. All of his help and all of his confidence in me is something that made a huge impact on my life,” Morrissey said.
Sophomore Serena Yankowitz had Goldstein in 8th grade and said that his patience with each of his students made him an exceptional teacher.
“He really tried to get us to learn, even though my class was a little bit unfocused at times. I think overall, he was a really good person, and he chose to form a deeper connection with us,” Yankowitz said. “That’s what made him one of my favorite teachers. He really saw potential in all of us, and he tried to help us; I think that was kind of how he went above and beyond.”
Senior Onaome Ekelemu had Goldstein as her math teacher during the 2020-2021 school year, and said that he helped her navigate remote learning over Zoom and made sure that she was able to engage in class.
“There was one time where I logged on and there was only me and one other kid that were online, because everyone else had gone in in person, and he was just, out of all of the teachers, he was the only one that was making sure that we heard what was going on, we saw what was going on, that we were actually included in the class,” Ekelemu said.
In the second part of the year, Ekelemu switched math teachers from Goldstein and moved to a different teacher at the Remote Learning Academy. She said that although she didn’t have the best new teacher, the transition felt easier because of her experience with Goldstein.
“I’ve always been someone that’s not the best at math, but I think he was one of the few teachers I’ve had that I felt like I could go to to ask for help,” Ekelemu said.
Goldstein’s kind demeanor and generosity was what drew Baker alumni, such as Morrissey, back to visit.
“He was the glue of the Baker School community. Many students would come back to Baker school weekly; they would go to his classroom after school and just sit and talk to him,” Morrissey said. “He would also help them with their math homework when he was not even their teacher anymore. For free, he would just help people who needed his help or would really benefit from it.”
Yankowitz said Goldstein formed connections with Baker students and staff alike.
“Everyone throughout all of Baker loved him. I also think he did really try and get to know each of his students really well,” Yankowitz said. “That really showed how impactful he was on the entire Brookline community.”