Pepsi and Pop: An Interview With Ms. Houlihan
Kendall: Ms. Houlihan, thank you so much for joining me tonight and agreeing to be my first interviewee for my interview series, 'Pepsi and Pop.' You inspired the title....you are a pepsi fan, right?
Kathyrn Houlihan: yes I am:)
Kathyrn Houlihan: thank you for asking me to be a part of this:)
Kendall: I'm personally a recovering Mountain Dew addi....er...aficionado. But, the Bromine terror movement got the best of me. Tell me a little bit about where you are from, how you got there, and anything that students at K12 might not guess about their math teacher!
Kathyrn Houlihan: I am from a small town in upstate NY but my father was moved with his job about every 3-4 years so I was born in Central NY but before I started school, we moved to Chicago, IL then we moved To Plymouth, MA and then back to the same town in upstate NY. After college, I moved to Pennsylvania, then Delaware and have now lived in Florida for the past 10 years. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to live in different places and experience the different cultures. I think it might be helpful for students to know that though I am a math teacher, I struggled in math when I was in high school too. Thankfully, I had a couple of really good math teachers who helped me with my questions and believed in me. I hope that I can make my students feel the same way that those teachers made me feel when I was a student.
Kendall: Speaking of which, you aren't the typical Geometry teacher. When I say Bromine, you can relate it to Organic chemistry, and you even have a degree in Chemical Engineering.
Kendall: What does a chemical engineer do?
Kathyrn Houlihan: That is a good question - some chemical engineers work in manufacturing to improve products or processes. I worked in manufacturing facility that made paper towels, baby wipes, diapers, etc. We made our own paper so I worked on projects to improve the efficiency of the paper machines and I replaced the chlorine bleach we were using to whiten the paper with hydrogen peroxide.
Chemical engineers can also work with the gas companies like Shell, Mobil, Exxon to improve the efficiency of the gasoline we use in our cars and find better ways to refine the oil, etc. Chemical engineers also work a lot in research and development. I have some friends who work to improve the efficiency of laundry detergents and the shelf life of dishwashing detergents and things like that.
Kendall: So...what brought you to K12?
Kathyrn Houlihan: I came to k12 because I felt they had the best online school and some of the teachers and administration were friends of mine and they really enjoyed working at k12.
Kendall: But you are a chemical engineer...why pick teaching kids like me over being able to literally build factories from the ground up? I think that is pretty amazing.
Kathyrn Houlihan: I loved being an engineer and we could discuss some of the fun projects that I got to work on for hours but after I got married and started a family of my own, I felt that I needed to make a career change where I could still do what I love but it would be a better balance with my family. I have always loved math and chemistry (which is why I became a chemical engineer) and when I worked as an engineer, I always loved working with others and helping others to learn. So it seemed like a natural fit to become a teacher. So I went back to school and became a certified math teacher.
Kendall: And as a teacher, can I give you a compliment? I really love your class connects...I can take notes, I can go back and use them, you speak slow enough, and you are always available at what seems like all hours of the day. With that in mind, how did you come up with your format for Geometry class connects? Do you teach more than Geometry?
Kathyrn Houlihan: My philosophy in life is to do unto others what you would want done to you. So when I create a Geometry class connect, I think of how I would want the material presented to me if I was learning this for the first time. I am also a proponent of continuous learning so I like to watch other teacher's class connects to see what they do and then use of the same things they are doing in my class connects.
Kendall: Do K12 teachers mentor each other?
Kathyrn Houlihan: yes they do:) it is one of the great things at k12 - the teachers help each other and give each other tips and tricks. We also share our class connect materials with each other
Kendall: That is a real benefit for the students. As a student, you get to see more than one presentation of the same material. Do you teach other things besides Geometry?
Kathyrn Houlihan: I also teach Consumer math and Integrated math. I was also asked to help in middle school so I am teaching a middle school class this year too.
Kendall: You have a busy schedule! What do you do for fun?
Kathyrn Houlihan: I have three kids of my own - a 14, 10 and 4 year old so most of the fun things I do is spending time with them. During the summer, we spend a lot of time in the pool or the local water park. I love watching movies and reading mystery novels
Kendall: Would you be able to tell me something that students might not know about what it is like to be their teacher?
Kathyrn Houlihan: I love being their teacher and I am very proud that I get to be the one to teach them math and share my love of math with them.
Kendall: If some of my readers wanted to talk to you about becoming a chemical engineer—or even a math teacher—could they contact you?
Kathyrn Houlihan: Absolutely! I would love to share my experience with both :). They can contact me by kmail or by skype (icademykhoulihan) or by phone (703) 436-3575.