My name is Kayla Peterson and I am one of the English Teachers as well as the Publications teacher and yearbook advisor! 

I am a graduate of Osage County R-II class of 2012. I continued my education at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri where I studied Psychology and Deaf Studies. It was in college I found that my true calling was teaching. I worked in Career Services all four years of college, where I was fortunate enough to meet with a wide variety of employers and business people. during my Sophomore and Junior year of college I picked up a second job working for Compass Health. I worked with adolescents, ages 12-18 who were in addiction recovery facilities. My responsibilities included teaching them social and life skills as well as tutoring them in their classes. This is where I first realized that I loved education and teaching students. I was then fortunate enough to be able to study abroad at Oxford University in England. I was able to take classes including Cultural Competency and an independent study on playwriting. This is where I solidified my love for English and Shakespeare and knew I wanted to teach English at the high school level. Then, my Senior year of college, I took a position working with people with the abilities of Autism and Down Syndrome. I taught life skills and communication skills using American Sign Language. 

After graduating with my B.A. in Psychology and realizing that I wanted to teach, I came back home to Linn where I was a paraprofessional and went back to school to get my teaching certification. I then accepted a position teaching  English at North Callaway High School and then moved on to Tuscumbia High School. I was then fortunate enough to be able to move back home.

I have taught a plethora of classes including: Freshmen English, Sophomore English, Junior English, Senior English, Speech, Reading Interventions, Technical Writing, Video Productions, Yearbook, and American Sign Language as a Foreign Language. 

I am also the Head Varsity HS Volleyball coach. This is my eleventh year coaching. I have coached multiple sports including volleyball, basketball, and track at many different levels including pals, junior high, high school, and club.