A lot of you may know Mrs. Koerner. She is an eighth-grade math teacher who started teaching at GEMS three years ago. Let’s get to know more about her.
What challenges did you face when you were younger?
“I was a stutterer when I was a little kid, which means that you have trouble saying words. That got better in high school, but then it got worse in college, and then it improved again—so that was a challenge. I also wore glasses, but I got contacts in middle school. And you know, I had my little group of friends, but there were still some bullying issues.”
Did you always want to be a teacher when you were younger?
“No, I wanted to be a veterinarian. When I was in high school, I worked for a vet and really loved it. I even helped with some surgeries, but I almost fainted—I couldn’t handle the blood. So I realized that wasn’t for me. Then I went to school to be an ecologist, which I enjoyed, but it didn’t work well for my new family. So I thought, well, one thing I can do is be a teacher.”
Were there any specific moments during your teenage years that influenced your decision to become a teacher?
“I had some really good teachers. In fact, three of my high school teachers came to my wedding—partly because I married someone I met when I was a sophomore. We were high school sweethearts and we’re still together.”
How did your teenage experiences shape your teaching style today?
“Well, I always liked school, so I sometimes have a hard time understanding when students don’t care. But I’ve always liked figuring out how things work, and I enjoy breaking things down to their simplest form. That’s something I still love doing.”
How do you think a teen’s life today has changed compared to when you were a teen?
“I think a lot of it comes down to social media and phones. Phones keep people up too late and make them socialize less face-to-face, which we really need as humans. Social media, especially for girls, creates this pressure—this feeling that you’re not good enough. If I were on social media all the time, I’d constantly be thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this person’s doing this and I’m not.’ But it’s not even real—it’s their curated, fake social media life. I feel like there’s so much pressure on teens now, and that leads to more mental health issues because people are so stressed out.”
If you could go back and do something differently, what would it be?
“You know what? I would dress differently. I really loved the Madonna style when I was a kid, but I was too shy and scared to go for it. I tried it a bit in college, and it went well. If I’d done it when I was younger, people might’ve said, ‘Oh, that’s so cool,’ but I was just too shy.”