Math teacher Kaitiln McCool has been at Lake Ridge for the past five years, teaching students how to love math. She became a teacher because of her own passion for math and her experience in high school.
“I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was in high school, because I had plenty of really great teachers that helped me and encouraged me and showed passion through their work. So that really made me want to be a teacher. I knew that I was good at math. I enjoyed math because there’s always a right or wrong answer. And researching careers after high school, I realized that there was a higher need for math teachers, so I knew that the job security would be a little bit better,” said McCool.
McCool’s education background started at Tarrant County College and later continued as a Maverick at the University of Texas at Arlington.
“I went to TCC for my first two years to get my associates, and then I transferred to UTA in Arlington once I had my Associates, and I graduated from there with a business degree,” said McCool. “Then, in order to teach, you have to have a degree, either in education or an alternate certification from an accredited program in Texas. Since my degree was in business, I had to go back and do a certification program through a program called A+ Teachers in Texas. So once I was certified to teach math, I took a test, and then I started teaching that year.”
While there are pros and cons to teaching, McCool has figured out how to combat the struggles. Learning how to overcome these challenges has helped her become a better teacher.
“I would say, [the biggest challenge is] all of the distractions as far as behavior that take away from actual instruction time. But to combat that I think that’s why it’s so important at the beginning of the year to build relationships with your kids. Because kids don’t want to learn from teachers that they don’t like, so you’re less likely to have behavior problems if you have strong relationships with your kids by being real with them from the start,” said McCool. “So from the first day, we learn each other’s names, we play games and I talk to them about things that they’re involved in. I go to their games when I can, things like that.”
McCool acknowledges the difficulties that come with learning math. By understanding the struggles students may have, McCool uses this information to figure out a way to keep her students engaged in her classes.
“A lot of them hate it, so I just try to incorporate my personality in my lessons. I make jokes with my kids all the time and things like that. I think that helps keep them engaged,” said McCool. “Whenever you’re talking in a very monotone way, it’s easy to fall asleep. I was one of those kids I would fall asleep easily, so I just kind of try to keep my personality and keep the momentum in class.”
McCool continues to make an impact in the Lake Ridge community as she has the past five years, after discovering her passion for teaching back in high school. Through experience and dedication, McCool finds ways to connect and support her students by providing them with a safe community in her class.