Educator Profile: Ken Barrett, teacher, Centerville High School

Name: Ken Barrett

Position: Teacher at Centerville High School

Education: I graduated from Bay High School in 2002, University of Dayton in 2006 and 2010.

Family: Allison is my lovely and supportive wife. We have two kids, Cormac (2 years old) and Eveline (6 months). Dobby is our obnoxious dog.

Where do you live? Washington Township

Where did you grow up? Bay Village, a west side suburb of Cleveland.

How long have you taught at CHS? This is my eighth year teaching math and coaching wrestling at Centerville.

What's your favorite thing about the community? My favorite thing about teaching in this community is the resilience of the students. In both academics and extracurricular activities we are able to push students to do more than they think is possible. They are resilient and hardworking young adults.

Describe your teaching philosophy in 10 words or less: Be demanding, be fair, be caring.

What one word best describes you? Genuine

What's your greatest achievement as a teacher so far? It's always reassuring to know you've made an impact on the lives of a few students. As educators, we very rarely get tangible evidence of our impact. This past year a former student nominated me for an award and I won it. It was the Yale University Educator Recognition Award For Outstanding Dedication to Students. The recognition was nice, but knowing I made an impact on a student is the best reward.

What's your favorite thing about your job? Helping young students to find and mold themselves into the adult they want to become.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Teaching and coaching at Centerville, being involved with state and national math education professional communities, and terrified at how fast my children have grown up.

What are your favorite hobbies? Reading, following Cleveland sports teams, playing video games, and cooking.

What's your favorite movie or TV show? My favorite TV show of all time is The Wire, but for shows still in production it's Game of Thrones.

What's your hidden talent? I've made some moderately acceptable pieces of furniture.

Who would you most like to meet? I'd love to have a sit down conversation with my favorite author, Chuck Klosterman.

About the Author