After teaching at Archie Williams for 23 years, Social Studies and Street Law teacher Kathleen McCormick is a passionate educator with the goal of teaching her students in an interactive learning environment. 

“I like to have fun and I like my students to have fun in class. I try not to take myself too seriously although I think I teach a pretty serious topic,” McCormick said. 

McCormick didn’t plan to be teaching Social Studies in high school, but found a passion for working with teens through a life-changing coaching experience. She originally planned to study constitutional law and attend law school. 

“When I started I had no idea that I wanted to be a teacher, and then probably halfway through college, a friend of mine asked if I would help out coaching a [recreation soccer] league because I played soccer most of my life,” McCormick said.

After McCormick coached young teenage girls on the soccer team, she knew she was meant to work with teens. McCormick began to picture her life as a teacher and started taking classes to pursue this new vision.

“I was thinking about going to law school too, I decided that I would rather try teaching, it [teaching] seemed more enjoyable and it was,” McCormick said.

McCormick got her teaching credential at UC Davis and began teaching in 1995. Beyond her coaching experience, McCormick’s biggest influence for becoming a teacher was the connection she shared with her high school teachers. She is planning a visit to see her third-grade teacher, who had a major impact on her as she grew up.

“I really enjoyed a lot of my teachers that I had in high school, specifically my history teachers, which is probably what led me to study social studies or humanities in college,” McCormick said. 

McCormick didn’t realize she had a passion for teaching going into college, but has now become an integral part of the school’s community.