Mr. Kelly Williams is a web design teacher at Camas High School. He answered a number of “get to know you” style questions as part of a new series for the Camasonian “Get to Know”.
Why did you decide to become a teacher?
“To start with, my Mom is a teacher, my Dad is a college professor, my sister is a teacher, and I have an aunt which is a teacher. So teaching was kind of in our family. I don’t have a really primary reason why I choose to become a teacher…”
Have you ever skipped school?
“Yeah, I remember there were times in PE class when there was tennis (as part of the class). Instead of going back to school I would leave the tennis court, so I go back to my house for lunch and then come after the next class. But I wasn’t really absent.”
What was the worst class in high school?
“I didn’t do math. Math was really hard. Algebra didn’t make sense to me, no matter how I tried.”
Have you ever made fun of teachers or gave them nicknames?
“Oh, yeah. I have worked with a lot of teachers since I’ve started teaching, but probably when I was coaching sports and I gave nicknames to guys with I have coaching, I gave them something that was easier to say than their actual name.”
Do you remember your first feelings when you entered your first class in high school?
“I was pretty nervous because the seniors seemed really big. It was scary to be surrounded by people who are older than you.”
Can a teacher learn something new from a student?
“Definitely. I learn something new from sophomore students every day. We do activities, we design things, we build things, there is always some different ways of doing things and students are really good about discovering the little thing that makes work easier sometimes. So yeah, definitely.”
What things do you do outside of school?
“Uh. I don’t know. I mean, I have a wife. We’ve been married like 38 years and we do a lot of stuff together. I have three kids and four grandkids. My son plays baseball which is pretty cool, it feels kinda unique for me. Obviously, we spent part of our time by following him. We love to camp, fishing, hunting, We love the bike, we do a lot of biking. And we hike. I’m nothing special in a lot of life spheres but I always spend time and do things with my family.
What does an ideal party for teachers look like?
“We used to do Christmas party every year, where we get together and exchange funny gifts, some stuff like that. A lot of fun, laughing because we are not on the work, positive atmosphere.”
