Matt Striker - Teaching Career

Teaching Career

After obtaining a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in educational psychology, Kaye began working as a high school teacher. He worked part-time as a substitute, filling in when other teachers were on leave. In mid-2004, he was hired full-time as a social studies teacher at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Queens, New York, but continued to wrestle part-time during his vacation time and on weekends. He resigned from his position as a teacher, however, when the school found out that he was using sick days as an excuse to keep up with his wrestling commitments. According to the school system's Special Commissioner of Investigation, Kaye falsely claimed 11 sick days in December 2004 and February 2005, during which time he was actually wrestling in Japan. Kaye later said in an interview that he would have taken personal days instead of sick days, but he "didn't know there was a difference." The school system's Special Commissioner of Investigation recommended Kaye's dismissal and also recommended that he should be considered ineligible for future employment in schools, and as a result, Kaye chose to resign in April 2005 upon advice from his lawyer.