Q&A with 2022 retiring KHS teachers

TKC: How long have you been at Kirkwood? TC: 22 years. TKC: Why did you want to be a teacher? TC: I started in 1979,  that was my first year teaching and coaching. I started doing both at the college level, and then I went to the high school level and coaching that's really got it. I went to a college that only had teaching degrees to play soccer. I played soccer, got my teaching degree and...

TKC: What has been your favorite part of your time at KHS? RM: My ultimate [favorite part] is just the relationships that I have with kiddos in the classroom, and I also coached cheerleading for a period of time. I've done BACC for a number of years. But just the relationships with the kids. When I first thought about transitioning into administration, that was my biggest fear: that I wouldn't have connections with the students. And i...

TKC: What made you want to become a teacher? SM: I got out of college and I didn’t know what to do. I moved to Boston and I was a temp, which was pretty boring. I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and I got a job at a box factory. Basically [the workers]  don't hate their job, but they live for their vacation. They're gonna do that for the rest of their lives because they were trapped. And I knew ...

TKC: How long have you been teaching at Kirkwood? DC: This is my 16th year but my 33rd year of teaching school. TKC: What something you'll miss most? DC: I'm a choir director, but I always say that I don't teach music. I teach students just through the medium of music. As a very young man, my father told me a wonderful secret to life. He said, "David, (that's my name), when you're thinking ab...

TKC: Do you have a favorite part of your job? LA: I like interacting with students. Some think I’m an old curmudgeon. I like traveling with students. When we did GAPP exchange, I got to see the kids in a different light instead of in the classroom. We got to know each other much better, and built the relationships even tighter.  TKC: Do you have any advice for students? LA: You need to learn t...

TKC: What has been the best part of your job? CC: The kids. Being around you guys and helping you solve problems. You make me happy.   TKC: What advice would you leave for students? CC: Stay off social media. Get rid of it. I don’t have it, and I’m happy. It makes me sad, because there’s so much going on in the world around you, so you just need to turn off your phone sometimes. And n...

TKC: What has been the best part of your job? CR: Being able to build relationships and be part of kids’ lives for four years.   TKC: What will you miss the most about KHS? CR: I will miss the students the most and the administration that I have worked with.   TKC: What will you do after this? CR: Nothing for a few months. Projects around the house and seeing grandchildren, and then I’m goin...

TKC: What has been the best part of your career at KHS? JT: The best part for me, and probably for most teachers and administrators, is to get to know and see kids grow and progress. The biggest rewarding part is to see what they do after and keep in touch with the kids who graduate.   TKC: What made you want to be an educator? JT: I knew early on I always wanted to coach. I had some great c...

TKC: What were you like as a student? MS: I was a nerd. I was very studious, except in math when I sat in the back of the room and talked to my friends nonstop. It drove my teacher bananas. I was really, really wild at certain times. I forged a note from my mom saying that we were out of town and skipped school for a week, and got caught and got in a lot of trouble. I was the child that really m...

TKC: What has been the best part of your job? DD: Working with the students.   TKC: What will you miss the most? DD: Working with the students. I will miss having a place to go where I just enjoy being around the people and seeing different things, enjoying different things.   TKC: What made you want to be a teacher? DD: The thing I tell students all the time is t...