Math Teacher Tina Dougherty (Mattheos) has the formula for teaching a perfect class! Born in Athens, Greece, Dougherty came to the United States when she was only just over one month old. Attending kindergarten in America was a challenge since she did not speak any English. In December of first grade, Dougherty moved back to Greece, living on the island of Kefalonia. This also posed difficulty as she was starting to learn English and had to now adapt back to life in Greece, learning the language and alphabet once again. “I remember being on the side board writing the Greek alphabet while the rest of the class was doing other stuff,” she says.

Dougherty admits to having a hard time in the beginning of first grade because she was behind her other classmates. In second grade, however, she caught up. “In Greece, you get graded one to ten. Seven is passing. So, in first grade I got a seven, just passed, and then second grade I got a nine,” Dougherty explains. After completing second grade, Dougherty then moved back to the United States. This time, she settled in Mahwah, New Jersey.

Having to be reintroduced to the English language, Dougherty was placed into the English as a Second Language (ESL) class in third grade. “I remember I was in ESL, and the only thing I was really good at was math. In Greece, we were doing long division, and in third grade here we were learning multiplication. So, I was really good at math but behind in everything else,” says Dougherty. She then moved to Brentwood, Long Island, in sixth grade and to West Islip in seventh grade. In tenth grade, Dougherty moved to Bay Shore. She attended and graduated Brentwood High School. “It was nice to be in all different places because I got to see different things,” Dougherty happily says. At the age of 17, Dougherty finally became an American citizen.

Today, Dougherty teaches geometry and Financial Literacy. She has been teaching for 24 years. Dougherty first worked at Sag Harbor High School for two years, teaching calculus. Once coming to LHS, she taught Algebra I. Throughout the years, she has also taught Algebra II and trigonometry. Dougherty admits she misses teaching algebra and confesses that geometry was once her least favorite of all the math classes. But now that she has been teaching it for such a long time, it has grown to become her favorite.
Dougherty loves teaching. Mostly, she enjoys watching students’ progress in math and seeing that they are capable of solving problems on their own. She especially likes teaching high school students because of their maturity and willingness to learn.

Regarding her and her teaching, Math Teacher Susan Malizia says, “Mrs. Dougherty is so laid back and such a great teacher in the classroom! She is a true professional who really cares about her students. And as a peer, she is always someone to rely on and who will be supportive. Love her!” Senior Raquel Colon-Boomer shares Malizia’s admiration for Dougherty, saying, “I had Mrs. Mattheos [Dougherty] for geometry in tenth grade. I remember her being patient and fun every day. She made math easy!”

Dougherty credits her decision to become a math teacher to her early affection for the subject. Back in sixth grade, she recalls receiving a 90 on a cumulative review test. “My teacher said, ‘Nice job,’ and I thought he was kidding. But then I saw I got a 90,” she says. In seventh grade, her love for math grew. She remembers having a teacher she really liked and being exceptionally skilled at math from then on. “What I like about geometry is that everything relates. When I teach something, it comes back again. I like algebra, too, because it’s like a puzzle.”

Dougherty attended Stony Brook University and majored in math. “I have a bachelor’s degree in math and a certificate for education,” she says. In college, she was not able to join any clubs or other extracurricular activities. Her parents allowed her to go to any school within driving distance, but she had to return home immediately after class. “I had no college life,” Dougherty admits. However, Mattheos did not allow this cycle to continue: “My daughter is a freshman in New Paltz. She went away, and she’s joining clubs. I’m letting her do all the things I wasn’t allowed to do.”

Outside of school, Dougherty enjoys spending time with family outdoors, walking, hiking, and discovering new places. She likes visiting family most of all, and they get together for every occasion. As a group, she and her family have gone on six cruises, as well as other trips, visiting places like Bermuda, St. Thomas, St. Barton, Puerto Rico, Canada, Florida, and the Bahamas. She now lives in West Islip and visits Greece when she can. From the age of 14 up until she was 24, Dougherty spent every other summer back in Greece. She has not been back since 2004 but hopes to go again this coming summer with her new husband, daughters, and stepdaughters.

Ms. Mattheos became Mrs. Dougherty when she was married this past July. For her honeymoon, she and her husband went to Cancun, Mexico. While most at LHS know her as Ms. “Matth”eos, Mrs. Dougherty is still the math whiz we have come to admire.

Bernard Pivot
• What are your favorite words? Love, coffee, vacation, “Have a good weekend!”
• What are your least favorite words? Hate, “I’ll do it later”
• What turns you off? Lying, negativity
• What is your favorite curse word substitute? Shoot!
• What sound do you love? Children’s laughter
• What sound do you hate? Blaring car horn, alarm clock
• What profession would you not like to do? Salesperson
• If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say at the pearly gates? “Nice try, just kidding, go back” or “There are people here waiting to see you”

Favorites
• Movie: Beauty and the Beast (both the classic and the new one)
• Book: Once We Were Brothers
• TV show: The Walking Dead
• Food: Seafood
• Song: “Your Song” by Elton John
• Sports team: The Yankees
• Band/musician: Billy Joel
• Pastime/hobby: Puzzles
• Snack: Ice cream
• Play: Wicked and Matilda
• Color: Blue