A Hidden Gem: Ms. Kathy

Sometimes having just that one dreadful class that you would rather do anything but go to, can feel like a personal war. But having a teacher you can look forward to seeing, can make the school day a little more tolerable. 

Tucked away in a small corner of our school, you can find a hidden gem, Ms. Kathy.

Ms. Kathy has been a teacher here at MHS for nine years and her entire teaching career has been here. However, teaching high schoolers wasn’t always on her agenda. 

“In my twenties, my husband and I operated our insurance agency until his death when I was twenty-five years old. I needed a fresh start, so I moved to Iowa with a friend and had only planned to stay for about six months,” said Ms. Kathy. 

Now it is 20 years later and Ms. Kathy is proud to call Muscatine her home. She began to buy houses until she adopted her daughter, Kendra. Buying and flipping houses takes lots of time and dedication but Ms. Kathy wanted something that would allow her to be home with her daughter more regularly. 

“I did real estate, but it was not my passion. After going to school as a reading helper when Kendra was little my interest in teaching sparked. At the age of forty-five, I went back to the University of Iowa to earn my teaching degree,” said Ms. Kathy.

Ms. Kathy majored in History and minored in Psychology. She enjoys teaching U.S. and World History along with Geography. However, Economics is not my favorite, but she still finds ways to make things enjoyable. 

“My approach to teaching is to develop relationships with the students so that trust and respect become a mutual entity. In the learning process, I like to engage in hands-on activities with my students. The creativity of my students is astonishing and remarkable,” said Ms. Kathy. 

Although Ms. Kathy puts her all into teaching, she still finds a way to unwind and take breaks. 

“Each Tuesday night, I drive an hour and a half to my parent’s house. My parents are both eighty-two years old but are full of life. I make dinner, and we share a meal together. If I am home on Sunday, my whole family goes to church together and eats Sunday dinner at my parent’s house. We all take turns cooking, so it is fun,” said Ms. Kathy.

Ms. Kathy also enjoys traveling, seeing new places and people. “The world is an interesting place; explore it,” she said. 

Ms. Kathy’s advice to the world is, “My words of wisdom would always be to be a lifelong learner; that does not simply mean going to school and earning degrees. Life is full of lessons each and every day. Keep an open mind and an attitude of being helpful and kind to those around you”. 

If you ever get the chance, say hi to Ms. Kathy, she is probably one of the coolest people you’ll meet.