"Beloved teacher Mr. King, has now switched from being a middle school teacher to a high school teacher."--Trevor Walton, 7th grade
Beloved teacher Mr. King, has now switched from being a middle school teacher to a high school teacher. Some kids who had him for 6th grade math already miss him since he was a nice, helpful, and a really fun teacher overall. Even though Mr. King has moved on to high school, students are happy and are pleased that they might have him in the 9th grade.
I wanted to ask Mr. King about his journey of being a teacher, so we sat down for a few questions.
Trevor Walton: Where did you grow up? Did you like it there?
Michael King: I grew up in Walnut Creek, 20 miles from here. And yes, I liked it there because as a kid, there was a lot of room where I could slide down hills with cardboard and ride bikes.
TW: Why did you want to become a teacher?
MK: That’s a deep question, and it’s hard to answer too. I had a really good math teacher as a kid, and when learning from him, I wanted to become a teacher. When I was younger, I thought I couldn’t run a class. But now, having kids and coaching soccer made me think that I could teach a group of people. It’s hard teaching, but you feel very rewarded when students respond to you.
TW: Where was the first school you taught at? Did you like it there? How long did you teach there?
MK: I taught at Montera Middle School for 2 years and I liked it there a lot, it was different than OSA though. Montera was bigger and louder than OSA. It was great teaching at Montera since the place was full of enlightenment. There were kids who lived in different parts of Oakland, and when you put them in one place, it’s a good learning experience.
TW: Where did you go to school for elementary and high school. What were the similarities and differences between your school and OSA?
MK: I went to elementary school at Alamo School and went to high school at Monte Vista in Danville (It means Mountain View). Even though my high school was three times bigger than OSA, my school had a lot less diversity than this school.
TW: When did you become a teacher and where did you go to college? To follow up, what degrees did you get? And what subjects were they in?
MK: I became a teacher 5 years ago. I went to UC Irvine and got degrees in English and Social Ecology. Then, I went to the University of Texas at Austin. There, I got a masters in public policy. Lastly, I went to Mills College and got a Masters in Education.
TW: What was your favorite school subject as a kid and why?
MK: I liked a lot of subjects. I tended to like subjects where I had good teachers. But, I really liked Math and English as a kid.
TW: How is it teaching at an art school? And how would you rate OSA out of a scale of 1 out of 10? Why did you pick that number?
MK: Teaching at an art school is great. The serious mix of arts and academics make this school more prepared than other schools. And, the quality of this school is better than it’s reputation. Though, it has a decent reputation.
TW: How would you rate OSA out of a scale of 1 out of 10? Why did you pick that number?
MK: I can’t rate OSA on a numerical scale.
TW: If you could pick any emphasis, which would you like to do and why?
MK: I would probably like to do instrumental and play the Piano. Making music with other people would be a great joy.
TW: How did you find out about OSA? Also, why did you want to work here?
MK: I found out about OSA from other teachers. And, I wanted to work here since I can be at a place where it mixes arts and academics.
TW: What has been your favorite memory as a teacher so far?
MK: My favorite memory being a teacher was going back to OSA in the fall and seeing the kids that I taught feeling happy to see me - it feels very good.
I wanted to ask Mr. King about his journey of being a teacher, so we sat down for a few questions.
Trevor Walton: Where did you grow up? Did you like it there?
Michael King: I grew up in Walnut Creek, 20 miles from here. And yes, I liked it there because as a kid, there was a lot of room where I could slide down hills with cardboard and ride bikes.
TW: Why did you want to become a teacher?
MK: That’s a deep question, and it’s hard to answer too. I had a really good math teacher as a kid, and when learning from him, I wanted to become a teacher. When I was younger, I thought I couldn’t run a class. But now, having kids and coaching soccer made me think that I could teach a group of people. It’s hard teaching, but you feel very rewarded when students respond to you.
TW: Where was the first school you taught at? Did you like it there? How long did you teach there?
MK: I taught at Montera Middle School for 2 years and I liked it there a lot, it was different than OSA though. Montera was bigger and louder than OSA. It was great teaching at Montera since the place was full of enlightenment. There were kids who lived in different parts of Oakland, and when you put them in one place, it’s a good learning experience.
TW: Where did you go to school for elementary and high school. What were the similarities and differences between your school and OSA?
MK: I went to elementary school at Alamo School and went to high school at Monte Vista in Danville (It means Mountain View). Even though my high school was three times bigger than OSA, my school had a lot less diversity than this school.
TW: When did you become a teacher and where did you go to college? To follow up, what degrees did you get? And what subjects were they in?
MK: I became a teacher 5 years ago. I went to UC Irvine and got degrees in English and Social Ecology. Then, I went to the University of Texas at Austin. There, I got a masters in public policy. Lastly, I went to Mills College and got a Masters in Education.
TW: What was your favorite school subject as a kid and why?
MK: I liked a lot of subjects. I tended to like subjects where I had good teachers. But, I really liked Math and English as a kid.
TW: How is it teaching at an art school? And how would you rate OSA out of a scale of 1 out of 10? Why did you pick that number?
MK: Teaching at an art school is great. The serious mix of arts and academics make this school more prepared than other schools. And, the quality of this school is better than it’s reputation. Though, it has a decent reputation.
TW: How would you rate OSA out of a scale of 1 out of 10? Why did you pick that number?
MK: I can’t rate OSA on a numerical scale.
TW: If you could pick any emphasis, which would you like to do and why?
MK: I would probably like to do instrumental and play the Piano. Making music with other people would be a great joy.
TW: How did you find out about OSA? Also, why did you want to work here?
MK: I found out about OSA from other teachers. And, I wanted to work here since I can be at a place where it mixes arts and academics.
TW: What has been your favorite memory as a teacher so far?
MK: My favorite memory being a teacher was going back to OSA in the fall and seeing the kids that I taught feeling happy to see me - it feels very good.
