In his first career, Drew Irwin was an actor living in Los Angeles.
But in his late 20s, the Marshfield, Missouri, native returned to the area and decided to become a teacher — a profession that runs in his family. Irwin’s passion for kids and their learning processes led him away from the stage and into the classroom.
“The excitement kids have when they begin to understand what was extremely hard for them is an adrenaline rush to me,” Irwin said.
Irwin moved back to Springfield in 2015 and married his wife in 2016. He began working full time at Best Buy to support his wife’s pursuit of her doctorate degree and taking classes to get his teaching certificate in 2021.
According to Irwin, returning to school as an adult was intimidating, but the College of Education at Missouri State provided unmatched support for him.
“There’s a strong community within the college,” Irwin said. “You go through classes with the same people and they all root for you and create a strong sense of belonging.”
Participating in Future Educators
Irwin learned of the Future Educators program in one of his education classes, and he became part of its inaugural class in fall 2022. He credits the program for much of his success.
It paves a path for students to become teachers and brings quality teachers to Springfield Public Schools (SPS). Students pursue an education program at Missouri State and upon graduation, they begin their teaching career at SPS.
They receive financial aid, mentor support and additional teacher training.
“The Future Educators program helped immensely with the financial burden of being an adult with a family trying to go back to school full time,” Irwin said.
Becoming Rookie of the Year
During his time in the Future Educators program, Irwin was mentored by Alicia Johnson, a first-grade teacher at Mark Twain Elementary. Irwin accepted a fourth-grade teaching job at Mark Twain in 2023.
His family has a history of fourth grade teachers.
“My aunt taught fourth grade for many years and so did my grandma, so it runs in the family,” Irwin said.
In Irwin’s first year of teaching, he received SPS’ “Rookie of the Year” award, which honors a beginning teacher who builds meaningful connections with peers and gains critical skills. It is named after Disney Elementary teacher Malori McGhe, who died during her first year of teaching.
In his acceptance speech at the Celebrate SPS event in April, Irwin thanked the teaching team he was a part of. He worked with Nicole Mccord and Rachel Dutton.
“They gave me wise advice when I needed it, supported me in every way possible and made me an equal part of the team,” Irwin said. “But more than anything, they set the high bar for me to strive for.”
Irwin also thanked his students and acknowledged what the year meant to him.
“I, of course, need to thank my students for being patient, determined and trusting, and for learning that the Backstreet Boys are a crucial component of math instruction,” Irwin said. “It has been a surreal year watching my students grow, as I grew alongside them. This feels like a dream come true, because it is my dream come true.”
Irwin will teach fifth grade in his second year as a full-time teacher at Mark Twain.