Teacher Feature: Kenny A.

Kenny has that unique ability to be both a friend and mentor to his students, in addition to retaining his ability to successfully engage his students in the subjects he teaches— especially when it comes to history, which is the subject Kenny gets the most excited about teaching.

We hear so much great feedback about Kenny from our families, such as one family who said “we are all big fans of Kenny” and talked at length about his ability to connect with their daughter in addition to engaging her in the course content.

We’re so grateful to Kenny for all of his hard work as a teacher. Please enjoy the following interview to learn more about how he started teaching and what he enjoys most about teaching with Pacific Preparatory!

About Kenny

Kenny graduated from Millsaps College with a degree in history and a minor in anthropology. He is currently enrolled in a masters program in American history through Pace University. He is a licensed Massachusetts teacher in the area of grade 5 - 12 history. In college, Kenny worked as a writing center tutor working with fellow classmates.

During his junior year in Austria, he volunteered at a high-needs public middle school where he taught English as a second language. After graduating, Kenny received a Fulbright grant to teach English in the Republic of Georgia and serve as a cultural ambassador. At the end of his Fulbright grant, he spent three years between Taiwan and China teaching both ESL and history at the middle and high school levels. In 2017, Kenny moved back to the United States to get his teaching license and is currently in his second year as a full-time history teacher at Winchester High School.

Kenny loves the opportunity to work with students one-on-one and especially enjoys the process of researching, writing and editing. With Tutor Corps, Kenny serves as an online English and history tutor, including AP US History. When Kenny isn't tutoring, he can be found cooking, hiking around New England, or playing baseball.

When did you start teaching and why?

In a way I've been teaching most of my life. As the oldest in a big family, I did lots of "teaching" - how to ride a bike, directing home movies, etc. My first formal experience with teaching was as an intern for a public middle school in Vienna, Austria. I wanted to see what the job was like, and help students with their English language skills. I loved the challenge then and still do!

What’s your favorite subject to teach and why?

History! If I have to be more specific, I'd say modern world history (roughly 1600 - today). The story we choose to tell about our past has real and immediate impacts on our present. I like to help students understand how ideas have shaped the world and wrestle with hard questions.

What do you enjoy most about teaching with Pacific Preparatory?

I love teaching one-to-one! It allows for so much personalization of curriculum and teaching style. On a different note, Pac Prep is also extremely well organized, communiciative, and supportive. It's nice to feel like I'm on a team that knows and wants the best for my students.

Can you tell me about a specific time when you saw a student thriving at Pacific Preparatory?

Pandemic learning (and teaching) has been challenging. Recently I re-directed an assignment to better suit a student who was experiencing high levels of anxiety. The project we did instead of regular class was no less rigorous, but better suited for the circumstances. I'm happy to say that the student did excellent work they could be proud of, in spite of the challenges.

What are your top 3 book recommendations in your subject area?

I'm not sure what age group to aim for here, so I'll offer a range. For middle to high schoolers I love Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz' An Indidgenous People's History of the United States for Young People. A great history for older readers is Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan. In the spirit of Black History Month, I'd also recommend The Sword and the Shield by Peniel Joseph, with whom I just finished a master's course. That one is an excellent dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

What is your favorite activity to do outside of teaching?

These days? It would have to be cooking. I love looking up new recipes on YouTube and trying them out! My new favorite YouTube cooking channel is Chinese Cooking Demystified.

Thank you Kenny for the amazing work that you do with your students. We appreciate you!