Post by Princeton University

#TellUsTigers x #TeacherAppreciation: “I became a public high school math teacher after a 30-year career in IT in the insurance industry in Hartford, CT — a field I entered right after graduating from Princeton. In 2007, something remarkable and fortuitous happened: I was approached to help coach a fledgling high school crew program in town (I rowed all four years at Princeton). I soon felt I was making a difference in the lives of my athletes and getting more fulfillment from my coaching than from my corporate career. Former rowers would say, ‘Coach K, you changed my life,’ by encouraging them to reach their potential as student-athletes both on the water and in service to their community. With my family’s blessing, I left the corporate world and started as a science tutor at Farmington (CT) High School. The position didn’t require a teaching certificate, just a knowledge of science and a desire to work with students who were struggling. Nothing compared to the feeling of sitting down with a student who was convinced that they were not meant to understand the laws of Newtonian motion, only to leave the room confident that they could. When a math teacher left in 2016, I was invited to take over his classes. I jumped at the opportunity and earned my certification through a program that allows school districts with high-need areas like math to hire someone to teach while they’re working on certification. For 11 years, I have taught everything from Introduction to Algebra to AP calculus. I try to draw students in by using relatable examples like how Princeton’s basketball team could use a sensor tool to get advanced analytics on players’ free throws. As I teach, I reflect on the encouragement of my teachers, Jim Warykas, Linda Heatherly & Gil Colby at Lyman Memorial High School in Lebanon, CT, and my Princeton professors Ted Taylor in physics and Donald Stokes in politics and public affairs, giants in their fields yet willing to lead others like me to grow in knowledge. When my students thank me, saying, ‘You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,’ they are also thanking those who taught me.” — John Kostal ’82; Photo credit: Noel Valero ’82 *86