This year, Kingswood Oxford warmly welcomes history teacher Stephanie Sperber to campus. Teaching has always been something that Ms. Sperber loved and hoped to pursue. “It’s in my genes,” Ms. Sperber said. “Many people in my family are teachers, and speaking in front of groups and being theatrical is very much part of my nature.”
This year marks Ms. Sperber’s 15th year of teaching. Before coming to KO, Ms. Sperber taught at the Watkinson School, Hopkins, Hall High School, and even at a school in Maui, Hawaii for three years. “The opportunity to move to Maui just popped up out of nowhere,” Ms. Sperber said, “and I just knew that I had to take it. I said, ‘Why not?’ and packed my bags and moved to Hawaii in only three weeks.”
Growing up, Ms. Sperber had a particular interest in history. “I was not good at history in school, but I had a real fascination with people and the past,” Ms. Sperber said. “By my senior year I realized that I could make history classes way more fun than I had experienced, which is when I officially started the track to being a teacher.”
Above all else, Ms. Sperber’s favorite part of teaching is finding a way to make history fun and engaging for her students. “Meaningful things happen in classrooms, but we can always have fun while we’re learning,” Ms. Sperber said.
Outside of school, Ms. Sperber likes to spend her free time cooking, going by the name “Chef Steph.” During last year’s quarantine, Ms. Sperber also reignited her passion for quilting, making over 2000 masks that she sold as part of her business. She also handed out masks to teachers during the teacher orientation, each with custom-made designs like math equations for math teachers.
KO is delighted to welcome Ms. Sperber to campus, and we can’t wait to see all that she does for her students and our community!
