Unlike many schools in the area, Highlands is lucky to be able to offer a psychology class, and even luckier to have a psychology teacher like Nina Kearns. Kearns has been teaching for 26 years, all of which she has spent at Highlands. She teaches multiple courses, including Psychology, Abnormal Psychology Adv., Mental Health and Wellness, Sociology, AP Psychology, and AP Research.
Kearns’ initial interest was not in teaching. With her main interests in law, she pursued a major in sociology and a double minor in psychology. However, her family was composed of mostly teachers, and during her time in college, she found a love for social sciences, as well as teaching.
At Highlands, Kearns has made an impact on students and teachers alike. In fact, she taught many of the teachers at Highlands. Science teacher Matthew Ewald, an ex-student of Kearns’, who has also gotten to coach and teach with Kearns expressed: “Even now as an adult, as a colleague of hers, she’s more of a mentor and someone I look up to.”
Being the only teacher at Highlands teaching her specific subjects, Kearns faced some challenges at first. Despite this, Kearns keeps her head up high and does her best to make sure every student enjoys their social science experience.
Health teacher Mike Code, a close friend of Kearns said: “There was never a down moment in her class. Students were engaged. Students were active. It was pretty impressive to see.”
The most important thing to Kearns, however, is reaching the students. She explained: “Because of the topic I teach, I really want [my students] to be better people when they leave.”
Her main hope for her students is for them to leave her class being more attuned to themselves, as well as others.
Many students agree that she does this and so much more. Junior Evelyn Hopping, a returning psychology student of Kearns’ expressed: “She has allowed me to expand my views on things, and get a deeper understanding about human processes and thoughts and emotions. ”
Senior Maria Zechella, a sociology student, added to this, explaining how taking classes with Kearns has impacted her as a person: “I’ve learned a lot of technical skills, like better note taking and presenting skills, but also I’ve improved my time management.”
Both students agreed that they will carry the lessons they have learned in Kearns’ classes with them into the future.
Kearns truly has a unique ability to teach about adolescent brains, but also nurture the growing minds of her students.