The Weekly Talon recently sat down for an interview with Davie High social studies teacher Karla Freeman. Freeman was voted “Teacher of the Month” by the Teaching as a Profession Class for the month of March. She has been teaching at this school for five years. Before working here, she was a camp counselor.
How do you feel about being chosen for teacher of the month?
“I am super grateful and this means a lot. This is really sweet.” Freeman continues to address that she is very happy about this and it means a lot that she had that much impact on students.
What or who inspired you to teach?
Freeman states that she is very good at math and was told she should go into business, but she hated public speaking. In high school, she had a few teachers that she looked up to. They were sarcastic and funny, and she started to like history and social sciences in the process. She is also interested in how people learn and communicate. Freeman realized that she could be funny and sarcastic and get people interested in a topic, so she went into teaching.
What is the hardest part about teaching?
The hardest challenge for Mrs. Freeman is being able to serve and address the needs of all of the students and having to address so many learning techniques that fit a bunch of students at once. “This is the best challenge, though.”
What is your favorite part about teaching?
Her favorite part about teaching is making curriculum and receiving feedback from students. She also likes making activities and seeing how her students process information. Mrs. Freeman seems to care a lot about her students.
How have you been affected by COVID?
Freeman says she has had to put a lot of attention into creating a safe space for learning and that has been a lot harder right now. She says that it is harder for her to form relationships with students and to create a comfortable learning environment. She has learned a lot through COVID.
What clubs is she involved in?
Mrs. Freeman is currently the head of the STAND club and helped out a lot with the Performing Arts before COVID. She was also a part of the SUNBURN Team and Youth and Government pre-COVID.
What is the most important lesson she has for us?
She wants everyone to know that they are 100% capable of doing what they choose to do and she wants them to find joy in learning.
Any fun stories?
Mrs. Freeman talked about when there was a hurricane that came through. She turned her lessons into ghost stories, as the power had gone out. Her students turned flashlights on from their phones and were still eager to learn.
Mrs. Freeman has been here for five years, and has had a blast. She truly cares about her students and wishes the best for them.
