I got the chance to interview the new math teacher, Mr. Kolotouros, and he’s a very interesting guy. He seems to really like interacting with all the kids and getting the chance to make math fun. Mr. Kolotouros said this isn’t his first year teaching; he used to teach adults and teenagers at an evening school. He enjoyed teaching adults and wanted to become a full-time teacher for high school.
Mr. Kolotouros tries to keep the students engaged by doing fun things, such as having them come up to the board and do problems on the board to make sure they understand what they are doing. To prepare students for a test, he prints out study guides about a week before and has the students work on it for the whole week. Each day until the test, he has the students ask him questions about the packet and has them do more problems from the packet and random problems on the board. I asked him what he would do if a student was having trouble in his class, and he said, “I try to assist in class, I try making time for the homework so they can ask questions, or I let them come in during resources for one-on-ones.”
I asked Mr. Kolotouros what he liked most about teaching, and he said when a student gets it after not getting it and seeing the joy on their faces. He said that his advice for current or incoming freshmen is “be aware that high school is different from middle school; being organized is the right way to do it.” I asked if he thinks he’s helpful to the students, and he said, “I try to be; my goal is to be clear, and I have many different ways to explain it to help. I’ve been told by others in my previous jobs that I make it fun, but this was with adults, so I tried high schoolers because I work well with them.”
Mr. Kolotouros said he wouldn’t want to teach another subject, but if he had to, it would be physics, and if he could go back to his old job, he would, as a “science and tech analyst for the Department of Energy”. He worked for the National Nuclear Security Administration | Department of Energy at a place called Argonne National Laboratory, where Argonne does scientific and engineering research for the United States Government. They focus on advances in energy research, nuclear technology, and basic science, and they work on national security projects.
Mr. Kolotouros is from Chicago, and he has one sibling, a twin sister. In his free time, he likes to bike ride and paint; he says, “It’s very calming.” His favorite food is steak. Mr. Kolotouros has one cat; he said if he could have more, he would. His favorite type of music is classic rock because he grew up listening to it – “it formed some of my childhood memories.” He has traveled to Greece and Italy, but said, “I LOVE New Mexico!” He says his favorite vacation was his most recent one to South Dakota because he and his family drove ATVs, went mountain climbing, and rode horses. One place that he would love to travel to? “I’d love to visit the holy land (Middle East).” The most important thing to him is his family and friends, but especially his parents; since he’s their caregiver, it has made him closer to them.
Overall, Mr. Kolotouros seems as though he really likes his new job at St. Edward. Mr. Kolotouros has shown that he is always willing to help, so students struggling with math should seek him out during Resource or after school. You might learn something new about math or even something new about the man teaching it to you.
