Before arriving at Mercy School for Young Women, I’ve had rich teaching experiences at several places, including most recently, Fairport High School. Prior to that, I taught at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Honeoye Falls-Lima High School and Victor High School in Rochester, NY. I arrived here via a circuitous path through Owatonna High School near Minnesota’s twin cities and Wheaton Warrenville South High School near Chicago.
To check out my old classroom, click here.
To read what students (and some teachers) have shared about me in the past, click here.
Minnesota had tough winters, good baseball, but a bad place to watch it. Chicago had tough winters, good baseball, and the best place to watch it. New York has tough winters, and I’ve heard they might actually have some baseball here, too. We left Chicago to live on a Minnesota farm, and now we’ve left the farm to explore New York. It’s been quite a journey, and it continues to be fun.
Aside from my brief MTV appearance, I lead a relatively normal existence — a wife, two children**, a large dog, and a pleasant home in the sleepy village of Fairport, NY. Before becoming a teacher I worked in the glitzy and glamorous world of advertising, trying to convince people that they needed more Head & Shoulders Shampoo in their hair, more Mr. Clean on their floors, and more deodorant on their…well, armpits (there, I said it). When I became a teacher, I created a media literacy course trying to convince them that they don’t.
I studied hard to get such neat jobs. I have a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Business Administration from The University of Iowa and I earned Masters degrees from Northwestern and DePaul Universities. I’m a big fan of all these schools (I should be; they have a lot of my $$$)! All of them do a great job of melding academics and co-curricular activities, and I hope this web site does the same for you.
In my spare time, I enjoy participating in sports, but now that I’m old and my body aches I’ve limited my activities to less and less pick-up basketball and summer baseball (I flash the leather better than I hit a curveball). I “play” the guitar a bit (that is, I’m a real hack). I used to play for my children at home, and now it’s mostly for my students at our Creative Juices Cafe coffeehouse at school.
WAIT!! Speaking of the CJ Cafe, let’s take a TRIVIA BREAK: What two former Metzler students are pop music stars? This guy & one of these guys.
OK, now back to the rest of the story….
I’ve recently written a book, Carpe College! Seize Your WHOLE College Experience, to help recent high school grads (and their parents) navigate the often challenging terrain of transitioning into college. (If any of you juniors or seniors have questions about college, I’d love to help!) I have drafts of a screenplay and a children’s story collecting dust, so I’d better get going on those! And way back when, I wrote a newspaper column called On Second Thought. If you’re bored out of your skull, with absolutely nothing better to do, go ahead and give it a gander.
My students do a great job of keeping me informed in the news & politics arena, which I enjoy. I love the movies, too (the “curl-up-on-the-couch-at-home kind, not the crowded & noisy big screen viewing) and I love to read. However, I’m woefully behind on both of these counts, and I’d welcome your ideas for future pursuits.
(NOTE: I do love to go to The Little Theater, though. So if you see something interesting showing there, please let me and my students know!)
Thanks for getting to know me.
If you’re one of my students (or former students), drop me a line or chat me up in person.
Hope to see you soon.
In the meantime, follow your bliss (Joseph Campbell), suck the marrow out of life (Henry David Thoreau), and harm no one.
** My daughter, Hannah, passed away in 2014 after a brutal battle with a brain tumor. She was a very special person, and she remains so through her legacy of selflessness. Learn more about Hannah and her good work at HannahMetzler.org. You should also know that the Fairport community exhibited unparalleled care and support for Hannah and our family through it all. In the summer of 2015 I was asked to give a “Heroes” speech for the Fairport/Perinton Relay for Life event in our community. If interested, here is the text for that speech: Mike-Relay-for-Life-Speech-–-FINAL.pdf
And, as the calendar turned on the next year, I reflected in the LA Times: “Why I’m Not Looking Forward to the New Year.”
My son, Luke, is a great young man. He graduated from Fairport HS and attended the University of Rochester, where he served on the student senate & sang with their premier a cappella group, The Yellow Jackets.
And here’s a song Luke performed in honor of Hannah at their second Crush Cancer Concert only weeks after her death. Prepare to be moved…
Oh, and he’s now out in LA chasing his music dreams. Listen & learn more at LukeMetzlerMusic.com OR check out his robust YouTube Channel. Enjoy!
