Ms. Conklin New Teacher Spotlight

What classes do you teach here at Masterman? 

I teach Honors 12th grade English and eighth grade English.

How long have you been teaching? 

Since 2007. So I think this is like my 16th year.

What made you want to become a teacher?

Its hard to remember. So I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was in second grade. I was the oldest child and like the first grandchild on both sides of my family. So I think I would always, like, come home from school and try to force my sister to, like, learn everything that I learned in kindergarten before she went. And I had fun with that. I think it just always worked for me. I’ve been working with like younger people in some capacity since I was 11. I started tutoring kids who were in kindergarten and then like from there, I’ve never

stopped. So its just always felt super natural.

What is the biggest lesson you learned from a student?

I don’t know if this is the biggest one, but its the most recent. So last year in my AP lit class we were having a class discussion. I think it might have been about Kindred by Octavia Butler. We were talking about was just like, kind of about, like growing up and like. Or maybe it was catcher in the Rye, but it was like growing up and getting older and how, like, difficult and challenging that is and how, like, every step of your life brings new challenges.

And [one of my students] said I just do not want to grow up and turn into my mom or any of the people that I know, because literally every single adult I know is miserable. And then I  looked at the books we were reading. And they’re all about like, death and like, you know, we had just read Death of a Salesman, which ends with a suicide and a broken family. And I think that from there, just trying to be like, really intentional, intentional about trying to, like, model being a person who doesn’t hate their life like that, you are not going to be miserable forever. That, like your life can have meaning and

purpose and like you will be happy. Um, I mean, I’ve always, you know, working in schools with like, high poverty rates, schools that were, like, really underserved. So much of it was just like, we’ve got to get you to college. Like, we got to get you a future that’s successful. But in the past year, I’ve really been thinking a lot about, like, not just do you need the skills, but like, you need the hope that your life is going to be happy. And its important for me as a teacher to try to instill that if I can. 

Is there something that surprised you the most about Masterman.

The middle schoolers. I love how crazy they are. I love the middle schoolers my eighth graders are. I really love teaching eighth grade. I was worried because I hadn’t taught middle school, really. It’s all been high school, and I love teaching eighth grade. Like, it’s so fun. 

What is your favorite book that you’ve taught.

In the time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.

Who’s your favorite author? 

I love Julia Alvarez, I love John Green. I think like I liked his young adult novels, but I love his nonfiction as well. And I think when it comes to the craft itself, I like Toni Morrison, everything she has ever written is just spectacular. 

What is your favorite thing to do outside of school?

I really like going on super long walks, riding my bike, just being in the city.

Rapid fire questions. 

Fall or spring? Fall.

Chocolate or vanilla?

So I’m a baker, and I want to be annoying because, like, you can’t use chocolate flavoring without vanilla. Like, chocolate doesn’t taste good unless there’s also, like, vanilla extract in whatever you’re baking. So I’m going to say vanilla because you need it for both.

Cats or dogs?

 Cats.
Spotify or Apple Music.

Spotify.

Are you a stay in person or like you like to go out and adventure?

Outside.