Sharon Kang–Science

When did you first start working at South High?/When did you start teaching?

13 years ago. I taught at Kirkwood for about ten years and then I was a stay-at-home mom for about ten years and then I came back and finished my career here at Parkway South. My first year teaching was 1990 at Kirkwood High School.

What classes do you teach?

Currently, I am teaching forces and motion and AP Physics C, but I’ve also taught Physics, AP Physics 1, and AP Physics 2.

What’s a special moment you will never forget?

There are actually a lot of them. I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of teaching some amazing kids and there have been fun times in class. We do an activity where they have to shoot a ball and figure out how to make it land in a little medicine cup. A couple of times they’re so nervous and the kids are so sure they’re not gonna make it happen and it goes clink right in the cup. They’re jumping and excited and it’s just so cool to see them gain confidence in their ability to do physics, I’ll never forget and I’ll miss it.

How has this school impacted you?

I think the diversity of students, both in their backgrounds and their interests. I have had students who were figure skaters, wrestlers, basketball players, and who were active in their temple or their mosque, who have a love of a special cuisine that they shared with me. It broadened my eyes so much by getting to know them and what’s important to them. I felt very lucky that they were willing to share those personal things with me.

Who has impacted you the most at this school and how?

All of my students. I don’t always remember names, but I see them out in the community. I get emails occasionally from kids who graduated. Even now walking down the hall it’s harder because a lot of my students were wearing masks last year and I may not recognize the bottom of their faces, but I’ve felt really lucky that I’ve gotten to share a part of their teenage years with them. They have made me reflect on how lucky we are to live in a community where we can be different and respect and treasure those values and differences. With so much going on in the world where people don’t respect differences, I just feel really lucky that, by and large, the kids here do. I wish some adults in the world could take a lesson from some of our students.

What are you going to miss most about South High?

I am going to miss some of my colleagues. We support each other and help each other with the different things we have to do in the classroom and how we can make things better for students. I’m gonna miss them a lot. There are some really special people in the science department that have taught me a lot about how to be a good teacher and how to be a good person, and I will miss them tremendously. I will miss it when I’m in the classroom and a kid gets it and you can just see that they’re like “oh I can do this.” I could be a little part of their ability to gain that confidence, I’m going to miss not being able to do that anymore. It’s all about the kids. For me, it’s all about the kids. Not everyone likes physics, trying to help kids understand that they don’t necessarily have to like it, but they can do it if they want to and gain that confidence in their own abilities. To be able to help kids have that confidence, that’s why I went into education, that’s why I wanted to be a teacher, and I hope for at least a couple of kids I have helped them.

Mason Skinner

What do you love most about Ms. Kang?

Mrs. Kang is always willing to compromise. She doesn’t rule the room like so many other teachers do. She consistently asks for feedback about what she can do better and how she can help, and she takes it to heart. If it’s possible, she makes it happen.

How has she impacted you as a learner or as a person?

Mrs. Kang has taught me great persistence. She teaches AP Physics C, and it is the hardest class I’ve taken. Over the last year, I have had my fair share of low-test scores in this class, but Mrs. Kang has always kept urging us on. Never stop, never give up, and keep on moving. I still struggle with the material, but it only becomes easier the more she exposes it to us.