Kim McGlynn

Why do you like teaching at George School?

I teach junior and senior English and I simply love being in the classroom. I’ve taught at other schools, but I really appreciate the balance fostered in George School students.  Students here are very respectful of one another, but they are also eager to engage in spirited, critical conversations, challenging each other and me. Since literature touches on human issues and different views of the world, debates can be heated. I believe in teaching students to teach themselves and to be responsible for teaching their peers. Even though I may act as a mediator for discussion or even lecture occasionally, I hope to foster the belief that all of us—teachers and students—can learn together. I transcribe what they say on a laptop and project it on a screen, so they can refer back to earlier points. It can make for a very animated discussion, but they learn to listen carefully to one another, to check their ideas against what others have said, and to see from other perspectives.  This year my juniors read a collection of stories by Annie Proulx. At first they found the writing hard, but by the end of the year, many of them felt the stories were the most effective writing we’ve read. They went beyond “I like it” to “I appreciate it and learned to love reading it.” It’s fulfilling to watch students challenge themselves intellectually and personally.

More about Kim:

A member of the adaptability project and co-founder of the FOCUS committee, Kim came to George School in 2006 with a BA from Oberlin College and an MA in English literature and an MFA in fiction from the Indiana University. She was a Price Chair holder and coached varsity cross country. Kim and her husband, history teacher Aaron Good, enjoy spending time with their young son. She also loves to cook, read, and walk their dog.