Teaching Profession

Long Live the King

By Sean Cavanagh — June 17, 2008 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Steve Wiebe is a math teacher in suburban Seattle—and quite possibly, a celebrity in almost any video-game parlor in the world.

Mr. Wiebe, 39, is the chief protagonist in a recently released documentary film, “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters,” which chronicles his attempt to set the world record in Donkey Kong, a video game popularized in the 1980s.

The film, directed by Seth Gordon, opened in theaters last year to critical acclaim, and it reached video stores for the first time this year.

Math teacher Steve Wiebe goes for a world record in a video game in New York City last year.

It tells the story of two video-game players: Billy Mitchell, the reigning Donkey Kong world champion, and Mr. Wiebe, then an unknown in video-gaming circles, who sets out on a quest to topple Mr. Mitchell’s record. Drama ensues.

Aside from presenting a colorful look into the competitive video-game circuit, the film offers a portrait of Mr. Wiebe, who attempts to set the video-game record—on a video machine at his house, and at tournaments across the country—while juggling family duties and beginning a new career as a teacher.

Mr. Wiebe decided to go into teaching after being laid off as an engineer at the Boeing Co., where he worked on landing gear for planes, and after losing another job as a software engineer. He began his school career as a substitute science teacher, and is shown on screen leading students through lab experiments and talking about the challenges of the classroom.

Today, he teaches math and coaches baseball at Finn Junior High School, in Kirkland, Wash., where he’s in his third year as a full-time educator.

In an interview, Mr. Wiebe said he occasionally incorporates lessons from Donkey Kong into his math lessons. He designed a student worksheet on proportionality in math around a video-game screen, and he’s used point-score totals to discuss rates and linear relationships.

“Once you relate math to something they’re into, you can see them come alive,” Mr. Wiebe said of his students.

Mr. Wiebe acknowledges he’s still coping with the challenges many young teachers face, such as maintaining discipline in his classroom and keeping students interested. But since his students are well aware of his recent role on the big screen, he admits he’s tried to use his newfound fame to his advantage. He’s hung a poster for “The King of Kong” on a wall in his classroom.

“I’ve got to gain any leverage I can,” Mr. Wiebe said jokingly. “I try to play that up as much as possible.”

A version of this article appeared in the June 18, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession From Our Research Center Forget the Free Food and Gift Cards. Here's the Kind of Recognition Teachers Really Want
New survey results reveal what teachers and administrators find to be the most meaningful type of acknowledgment from a supervisor.
4 min read
Thank you card inside a brown envelope left on desk
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching 'You Don't Know Teacher Tired': Educators Sound Off on Misconceptions
Hear what teachers featured in EdWeek's The State of Teaching Project say makes their jobs more difficult.
Frank Rivera teaches 7th grade ELA at Chaparral Star Academy in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 15, 2023.
Frank Rivera teaches 7th grade ELA at Chaparral Star Academy in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 15, 2023.
Montinique Monroe for Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion Why I’m Happy Being ‘Just a Teacher’
Not every teacher is an aspiring administrator. That’s a good thing.
Amanda Myers
3 min read
Abstract vector illustration depicting the process of teaching and learning.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Teaching Profession What the Research Says Do Teachers Really Earn More After Leaving the Classroom? Not Necessarily
Nearly a decade after leaving a big urban district, many teachers have yet to recoup income, a study finds.
4 min read
Illustration of woman and steps made of cash.
Getty