As you walk into Kimberly Gossin’s room, you’ll notice her room is filled with stuffed animals for those who may need them. She decorates her walls with work done by her students, taking pride in what they do. Photos fill the room to the corner of the wall with pictures of her students from the past and the present. She even has a water station in her room for the students to take when they’re dehydrated, especially on hot days.
Ms. Gossin is an American Democracy teacher who likes to teach History and English at the same time. She stands proudly at the front of the class, commanding the room with her strong clear voice, making it known to others that she’s the one talking. She walks around with such confidence, sure of what she’s doing. She teaches us about the systems behind our democracy, and how they need to change.
Ms. Gossin shows that there are always two sides to everything in this world.
Ms. Gossin chose to be a teacher. ’’I wanted nothing more than to help others, with anything they needed.’’
For her, “teaching isn’t a job, but a way to exchange ideas and learn more about others.’’ She gets enjoyment from seeing her students grow as people. Ms. Gossin chose to work at Mission because she thought that this was an “anti-racist school and a community of incredible students.’’
A good way to describe Ms. Gossin would be someone who loves life and all the incredible people in it.
When asked to describe her personality she described herself as very flexible, honest and loyal. While she’s quick to anger, she can forgive easily. She can find humor in just about everything, even if it’s a tragedy.
Her hobbies outside of school include being outdoors; she likes camping and hiking. She goes wherever nature might take her. She also finds relaxation in cooking. Ms. Gossin likes to entertain and feed people.
Ms. Gossin loves her job so much that she hasn’t thought about retirement. If she had the chance to, she would like to spend it in a forest.
“I would spend my time in a nice cottage away where I could focus more on my cooking and hiking.”
In the future she sees young people taking power, and bringing the world back to a healthy sustainable place for all living things.
As we came to the end of our interview, I couldn’t help but notice the bright glory in her face, and how she described the pride that comes with being able to call herself a teacher.
