text: One New York-based teacher has found an incredibly fashionable and glamorous way to supplement his public school income, working as a model for some of the world’s top designers. Sam Pearce, 24, of Milton, Massachusetts, initially came to New York City to peruse a career in education, and soon after arriving in the Big Apple he landed a job teaching English to eighth graders in Brooklyn, New York. But just a few months after landing the job, the six-foot, green-eyed Brown University graduate was 'discovered' on the subway by another model, who promptly asked whether he could send Mr. Pearce’s picture to his own modeling agency in the hopes of getting him signed up. Model behavior: New York teacher Sam Pearce, 24, was discovered on the F train in New York City and now juggles his career as an eighth-grade English teacher with a side job modelling for top designers . 'I was taken aback and flattered, but also kind of incredulous,' he told Racked of the encounter, which took place on the F train. 'He was just like, "Hey, you're a model, right?" I said, "Noooo, I'm a teacher, dude."' Soon after, Mr. Pearce, who was at the time teaching a summer school course and standing to earn $45,530 in the coming school year, signed a modelling contract with RED NYC and started posing for designer lookbooks and walking in fashion shows in London and Milan under the name Sam Worthen, a pseudonym taken from his mother's maiden name. But the hunky instructor insists that he doesn't let his side job posing for Alexander McQueen, Diesel Black Gold, and DKNY interfere with his responsibility to his students. Classroom to catwalk: Mr. Pearce says his two jobs are similar in that they are both hectic and he needs to keep a straight face during each of them . Renaissance man: Besides teaching and modelling, Mr. Pearce also speaks French, Spanish, and Italian and composes his own music . 'My agents have been pretty great about understanding that teaching is my priority, and they've gotten me jobs that require me to miss little or no school,' he said. 'I did the Alexander McQueen show — that was my first real show — over a weekend. I flew out to London on Saturday evening, did the show, and then flew home immediately after; so I was in London for 12 hours.' He also managed to fit walking in New York Fashion Week this February into his teaching schedule, modelling in shows during New York City public schools' week-long winter break. In fact, Mr. Pearce managed to maintain the secret of his second identity until very recently, and even then, he admits he only revealed himself because he thought the publicity could benefit his kids. Male model: Mr. Pearce knows there's more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking; he also places a lot of importance on getting his English students to read . 'I thought if people take interest in my story I could convert that interest into resources for my students,' he told Fox CT. Mr. Pearce launched a Go-Fund-Me campaign called The Right Book to raise funds to buy all 67 of his students new books, and the attention his plea received helped him quickly surpass his goal of $3,000 in donations. He is now urging would-be donors to help more teachers and students through fundraising website DonorsChoose.org. 'I definitely think of myself as a teacher who happens to model, rather than a model who happens to teach,' he told People, adding that it is clear to him that models are replaceable but teachers are not.
target: Sam Pearce goes by the name Sam Worthen when he works as a model .
  He walked in New York Fashion Week this February while his Brooklyn, New York school was closed for winter break .
  The 24-year-old has worked for the likes of DNKY, Diesel and Alexander McQueen .
  Mr. Pearce says he opened up about his double life in an effort to raise money to buy his students books on Go-Fund-Me .