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Michael Fanta

Mr. Boyd at his desk.

Every teacher has a story.  Though we may not think so, they are just like us, people who are engaged in their lives and the lives of others.  Clarion interviewed Kyle Boyd, a new science teacher here at RB.

Clarion: Where did you go to high school?

 Boyd: I went to Proviso West High School in Hillside.

Clarion: Where did you go to college?

Boyd: I went to North Central College in Naperville.  It’s a small Division III school.

Clarion: What was your major in college?

Boyd: Originally, I was an athletic training major, and around my senior year I decided I wanted to go into education.  I completed my four year degree in athletic training, went back to school, and I worked there for two years as an athletic trainer while I pursued a teaching certificate. I took some time off, went back to school, and worked full time as a custodian at a school.  I went to school in the daytime, as a full time science teacher.  Now I’m certified in any science, but mostly Biology.

Clarion: Do you have an advanced degree?  What certifications?

Boyd: I actually don’t have an advanced degree.  I have a Bachelor’s, and I have a teaching certificate.  I’m board licensed and certified as an athletic trainer, and CPR first aid certified.

Clarion: When did you realize that you wanted to teach?

Boyd: When I was in school, I would look at teachers teaching different things, and a lot of times I would think, “Well, my friend isn’t getting this, maybe I could explain it to them this way.”  When I got to college, I didn’t realize if that was how I thought, or if I wanted to be a teacher, but as I advanced through school, I realized that I really enjoyed teaching.  Then, around my Junior and Senior year of college, I decided I wanted to go back and become a teacher.

Clarion: Did your teaching career start at the high school level?

Boyd: Actually, it started at the collegiate level.  When I was at North Central college working as an athletic trainer, we had to teach the Undergraduates at athletic training.  They would have to come to sporting events with us and learn different things.  They would actually get a grade in the class.  I then went on to [teaching] high school.

Clarion: What made you choose RB as a place to teach at?

Boyd: My uncle, Mr. Miller, who worked here about thirty years ago, always spoke very highly of RB.  He lives here in Brookfield, so I’ve known the school for a long time.  When I was a senior teaching athletic training, I did a ten week internship here with Mr. Frey.  I fell in love with the school and I’ve been trying to get back here since 2009, which was when I was here.

Clarion: What classes do you teach?

Boyd:  I have four sections of academic support and three sections of physics.

Clarion: What grades do you teach?

Mr. Boyd: Academic support ranges everyone from freshmen through seniors, but then physics is just juniors.

Clarion: How is RB going so far?

Boyd: Great.  Everybody’s fantastic, from administration, to fellow teachers and staff, custodial staff, and students. Everybody’s been great so far.

Clarion: Any surprises, or anything unexpected being new to the school?

Boyd: I’m somewhat surprised by the amount of pride that everybody has here at RB.  It’s very refreshing, very welcoming, and makes you feel good to come in everyday.

Clarion: What do you find most challenging as a teacher at RB?

Boyd: It’s just being a new teacher in a new building, trying to learn the ropes and everything, learn the ins and outs, and learning which stairwells to use when.  Learning how the building works, that’s probably the hardest part right now.

Clarion: What do you find most rewarding?

Boyd: Working with the students, and seeing them be able to apply things, hearing them in the hallways passing by, before school students from your class sitting there, working together, doing homework, or later seeing  them apply things you’ve been working on outside of class, that’s really rewarding.  Seeing your students excel in your class and other classes.  This weekend I watched the football game, seeing my students playing football and doing really well, that was really rewarding.

Clarion: If you taught at a different high school previously, what is the biggest adjustment you have to make while teaching at RB?

Boyd: Again, it’s that school pride, it’s a different level here. I was at Maine South last year and New Trier the year before that. Those schools have a lot of school pride, but RB, by far, exceeds what those schools have.  It’s refreshing, and very cool, I like it a lot.