Molly Stephenson, English teacher

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 made my parents value my brothers and sisters. I was the rebel.

MS: The very best part has been the collaboration that I did with my colleagues on creating the senior course [curriculum.] I have never experienced anything so joyful and difficult, and I am so proud of what we came up with. I was really proud of the fact that a lot of what we did was based on my doctoral thesis and what came out of doctoral study. And the other thing is having former students get in touch and thank me. That is a very gratifying moment, and you feel like you’ve done something that is so much more important than what I used to do in the financial industry. It’s really meaningful.

TKC: What advice would you leave for students?

MS: Don’t miss out. Don’t be afraid of hard work. You’ll never be more proud of yourself than when you accomplish something after a lot of hard work. Understand that when teachers give you hard work and expect a lot from you, [they] are doing the best thing they can do for you. It’s really easy to think they’re against you and are trying to add stress to your life, but they are actually showing that they have a lot of faith in you and that you can tackle a lot more than you think you can tackle.

All the opportunities we have at Kirkwood High School are amazing. I would’ve been a different person if I had gone to Kirkwood High School, because the school I went to didn’t have as many opportunities. So take advantage of those opportunities. And then it sounds like a cliché, but get off your phone. Just be in the real world, in real time.

TKC: What are you going to do next year?

MS: I have so many plans. I’m already into two different novels. I’ve written three children’s books. I want to illustrate those. I want to get an agent if I can. My daughter and I have a book project that we want to work on together. I want to travel. I have several trips planned already. I’m already doing a project at my house to make my house more usable for writing, artwork, crafting [and] doing an Etsy shop.

TKC: Can you summarize your career at KHS in one word?

MS: Complex. It’s been extremely difficult at times and a complete joy at times. Complex and important. I feel like teaching is important, and I worry about the future of education, because I’m concerned about how many people are being drawn to teaching and the art of teaching. That worries me a little bit. We’re being pulled in too many directions, and it really is an art. When artists are constrained, they rebel. Not that good things can’t come out of rebellion, but I just see some of the spark dimming in my colleagues’ eyes a little bit, and that worries me.

TKC: Is there anything else you want to add?

MS: I’ll always have a fond place in my heart for Kirkwood. It would’ve been my school. I grew up in Kirkwood. I went to Ursuline and knew a lot of people who went to Kirkwood. It could be such a great place, and I just hope it maintains what it has always been, only better. There are some really important ways it could be better.