Kimberly Oltmanns never imagined she would be a high school teacher and a high school coach. Growing up school was the last place she wanted to be for the rest of her life. But the experiences life gave her lead her back to where it all started.

While she was in college she spent a lot of time soul-searching. When she was offered a job to coach a high school girls soccer team she jumped at the chance. Although they told her she would have to be hard on them because ‘girls that age are catty’, what she found was quite the opposite. She said they were amazing and she loved working with them. This experience opened her eyes to the idea of teaching. She ended up here at Perry. She taught AP Lit for 2 years (and is hoping to start teaching it again) and now she is teaching Honors and Regular English 10.

During her high school years she loved her AP Lit class and the many interesting pieces they read. She also read for fun. Her favorite series was, and still is, the Harry Potter series.

“I grew up with the characters and I was the one at the store at midnight to get the next book. It was almost a part of my development,” she said.

What she loves most about books is the lessons in them that you can apply to life. Reading, whether it be news or books or creative pieces online, has broadened her perspectives. Growing up she was raised to think one way. Although her family still thinks that one way, her view of the world has drastically changed. She also finds teaching to be an eye-opening experience, “I work with a really diverse group of students everyday who all come from different backgrounds.”

Oltmanns understands that not all kids are going to enjoy reading, but while they are reading inside the class she tries to inspire them. If she’s enthusiastic about something, she sees that same enthusiasm in her students.

I talked to a few of her sophomore students and asked them what they liked about her teaching. Zoey Baab said, “Ms. Oltmanns is a very intelligent and kind person and she tries to help us when she can”. Bryce Terry said, “She always seems very helpful and open to having a discussion… That’s one thing I like about this class, it’s very discussion based. Not just giving us a paper and telling us to do it.” Vanessa Rodarte said, “She makes everything seem interesting and she is very lively.”

It is clear to see Kimberly Oltmanns has a passion for teaching and for her students. She is inspiring kids to enjoy reading and writing, and to take the lessons in the books and apply them to life.