Sakshi Venkatraman
staff writer
@oompapa1
With a sudden intensity of technology being implemented in Coppell Independent School District, many teachers are changing their mechanisms in order to match the new pace. International Baccalaureate math and pre-AP precalculus teacher Karie Kosh is certainly using the change to her advantage, with her innovative and modern teaching style, leading the way to a new generation of learners and teachers.
Kosh was chosen as the teacher of the month at Coppell High School for the month of October
“It is hard to trace things back to what really inspired me to become a math teacher,” Kosh said. “When I look for [my] inspiration, I remember my Biology II teacher from my senior year in high school. She challenged me and really taught me the importance of working hard.”
Kosh, evidently, has the same effect on her students with her engaging and modern teaching style.
“[Kosh] really takes time in setting up lesson plans that introduce us to basic calculus concepts and can lead us through every step of each process,” sophomore Laila Kamel said. “She puts in lots of time and effort in her work and she really enjoys it which makes it very easy to be a learner.”
This is Kosh’s eighth year teaching at CHS and 15th year total.
“One of my favorite things about teaching in Coppell is being part of the larger Coppell community. I’ve been a volunteer with the high school youth ministry at St. Ann Parish for over 10 years, and I love the overlap between my church and school [kids],” Kosh said.
Kosh also takes pleasure in her involvement in the IB program, of which she is one of two math teachers.
“Teaching [here] also gave me the opportunity to be a part of the International Baccalaureate program. IB has broadened my vision more than I ever expected. I love the cross curricular applications, the deeper math and the small learning community,” Kosh said.
As a teacher in the IB program, Kosh interacts with Ian Vanderschee, another IB math teacher, on a daily basis.
“ Ms. Kosh always seeks to take the abstract concepts of math and make them not only meaningful, but fun and engaging for the students,” VanderSchee said. “She is always cheerful and peppy, for lack of a better word.
“That energy translates well to the students who may find math to be dry or boring. She has several catch phrases that make the students smile, and takes a genuine interest in her students and personally wants all of her ‘little darlings’ to be successful.”
Kosh also frequently addresses the ever-present question, “How can I use this in the real world?” By building creative and fun activities for her students to interact with, she gives them answers to that question that are not only self-fulfilling, but also teach them
the necessary concepts in math.
“She [once] decided to have students learn about combinations by having them choose a restaurant and determine the number of possible combinations of their main menu items,” VanderSchee said. “They then tweeted the results to the restaurant. One of the restaurants, Smashburger, responded to the tweet by awarding the students coupons for free burgers.”
Aside from her implementing a variety of teaching methods, she has an extensive knowledge of math, which Vanderschee claims brings a lot to the table in the IB program.
“Ms. Kosh is a wonderful teacher and a fun colleague,” Vanderschee said. “I look forward to working with her every day. I think we complement each other in ability and creativity, and that combination has allowed the IB Math program to earn the positive reputation that it has.”
