Teacher Tuesday: Joys Kapali

Courtesy of Kapali

Joys Kapali posing by the Chicago Riverwalk, not a single clue if she will find a job after graduation or not. She does.

Allison Mi, Editor in-Chief

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what hobbies/sports you do.

A: “This is my first year teaching! And as of now, it has taken over pretty much all aspects of my newly graduated life. I graduated from UofM this August so all of it is still pretty new to me. I teach Psychology and that is one of my passions so I feel very lucky to be sharing that excitement with my students everyday. Other than that I love painting, journaling, and cooking.”

 

Q: What do you teach and why?

A: “I am the one and only Psychology teacher at Huron. Psychology, specifically, because I find the study of human cognitive processes and behavior fascinating. We learn about the complex relationships between human behavior and the world, how culture impacts us, what motivates us, how our personalities influence our daily actions, and etc.”

 

Q: Have you always been interested in teaching?

A: “I have always been interested in teaching. I quite frankly cannot see myself ever doing something else with this much interest. It was what I wanted to be since I had gained consciousness.”

 

Q: What/who inspired you to become a teacher?

A: “So many good teachers. I am the biggest hater of my own K-12  experience but it also gave me my role models for life. One of my high school English teachers and my Art teacher solidified my decision to be a teacher. They were so kind, probably to a fault. They made me feel like I was someone very capable and deserving of love.”

 

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: “I go on long walks with my friends. I enjoy the scenery of Ann Arbor and how walkable it is. We like cooking at our place and watching brain rotting content such as “bad driver compilation” and “dad’s against predators”. I also like getting together with my other new teacher friends on the weekend to try different restaurants and catch up.”

 

Q: What is one motto you will always live by?

A: “ It is not a motto but I try to constantly remind myself that this is the oldest I have ever been and the youngest I will ever be. I have a tendency to live in the future by always preparing for the “next step” in life but I want to live in the present more. I want to enjoy everyday and all the silly little things like the crisp fall mornings.”

 

Q: What is your favorite teaching moment?

A: “I have so many even though I just started. I like when my students ask me what song I am playing or recommend songs to me. It is always fun watching the artists in my class as well. One of my favorite things is when my students talk about their future plans, I feel so excited for them.”

 

Q: What surprised you about this year? 

A: “I did not have any expectations from this year and I guess I am fairly surprised by how everything kind of fell into place. I teach at my first school of choice with colleagues who are kind and students who are funny.”