Being a second year and one of the youngest teachers in the school is hard but you learn a lot and have some good and stressful times doing it. Freshman biology teacher Karyn Rader is a great teacher and is still learning herself. Rader was born and raised in Plainfield, Illinois; she enjoys pilates and working out.
When Rader was a child, her role model was her mom. She always looked up to her and felt she was there for her; her mom always supported Rader’s dream of being a teacher. Her mom also helped her through college, Rader wasn’t for sure what she wanted to do, but when it came to picking her major, she couldn’t see herself doing anything but teaching.
At school Rader is involved in the earth club with Chemistry teacher Jessica Overocker, one of her best teacher friends. Overocker and science teacher Julie Mantzke are Rader’s “work moms” and best in school friends. Mantzke and Overocker help Rader through her days and give her advice when needed. Overocker said, “She is our baby adult. She’s learning to be mean. I’m raising her right.” The relationship they all have is something Rader cherishes and loves about her job here.
Dissections are Rader’s favorite activity to do with her students; she likes watching her students learn about animals and just thinks it’s very interesting. Rader said this year was a lot better than last year, she said, “I realized how much small things make a difference and that helped me a lot in the classroom.” Rader’s students find joy in her class and in her as a teacher, Freshman Indie Baylis said, “She’s good at explaining things to help me understand, and she makes the class enjoyable.” Her students are very active and participate in her class. She created many activities for them and gives them plenty of time for homework and activities.
Rader’s day goes by quickly, and she loves her students; she said she loves being a teacher and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Rader thinks she has grown a lot as a teacher, and her fellow science department teachers think so too. She’s happy with how this year was and she hopes to continue to get better.