Spending 4 years in high school you are bound to meet teachers who are most influential on your life. Teachers who students choose to depend on and go to for advice. Mr. Kenny Hill is one of them. He is one of those teachers who is a jack of all trades. He deserves all of the recognition in the world for his contributions to our school. Not everyone knows how much he really does for us and all of the things he puts up with on a daily basis. We really don’t know how hard he and the other teachers work and the lengths they go to for us. Teacher Appreciation Week is implemented so we recognize our teachers and staff who, in lamence terms, put up with us everyday. Mr. Hill is one of those teachers who deserves to be appreciated for all the hard work he does and his devotion to his students and our school.
This is Bethany Owen and I am interviewing…
Mr. Hill 🙂
Alright, do you apply the things you teach in all of your classes to your everyday life?
Mr. Hill: Yes, my classes are everyday life, that’s what I teach.
Have you ever thought about not being a teacher?
Mr. Hill: On the days when there are students who aren’t very productive and don’t do what I want them to do, the thought does cross my mind.
What is your work life balance like?
Mr. Hill: During like football and track season there is no balance, but in the summers and the winter I get to spend a lot more time outside of work with my wife and dog, relaxing.
When were you the most tired?
Mr. Hill: How did that question get in there?
Bethany: When were you the most tired Mr. Hill?
Mr. Hill: How did that question get in there?
Bethany: Giggle giggle.
Mr. Hill: You’re really lucky Myers isn’t here today.
Bethany: I know, I am.
What did you study in college?
Mr. Hill: In college I went for business administration, which is kind of just a general business degree. My initial thought was that I was going to go work in the corporate world and I found out through an internship that that was not something I wanted to do. So, I graduated and I was already coaching sports here, at the high school, so to fill some time and make a few dollars I started subbing for the school district. I think you guys were in like fifth grade.
When you started subbing? Really?
Mr. Hill: Yeah, cause I think I had, I remember one of my first days subbing I mispronounced Tkye’s name, I called him Tyke, like everybody does. The whole class instantly corrected me that it was Tkye and not Tyke. So, that was one of my first days subbing and in the course of coaching and subbing I found out that I do really like teaching and I would like to think I am at least pretty good at it. So I went back to school to take the rest of the classes I needed to get my teaching license and now I am here.
What were the main classes you subbed for?
Mr. Hill: I actually did everything, I subbed all the way down to kindergarten and I subbed all the way up to the high
school. I did a long term sub for Mrs. Morgan when she was on maternity leave. I did a whole semester of family and consumer science before we hired Ms. Sands. I taught it for a semester.
Did you teach childcare?
Mr. Hill: I did not have childcare, that was a second semester class, so I taught parenting. The main reason I was hired for that was to teach resource management since I had a business degree and I was still finishing up my education classes. I had my degree and that was the only class Ms. Sands was teaching at the time that was a graduation requirement. So, they brought me in to mainly do that, but I also had to teach foods, and parenting, and oh it wasn’t parenting it was child development.
So you’ve been a teacher for what, 10 years now?
Mr. Hill: I’ve been in education for, this will be closing in on my tenth year now in education then a full time teacher for five.
Then when you became a teacher here you instantly got here and got your business class, resource management, accounting and now you have sports marketing, right? That’s right? I’m not missing any?
Mr Hill: Business Ventures, yeah, they are all listed on the board.
Bethany: (insert eye roll) I was trying to remember what they all were.
Mr Hill: Yeah.. and my co-op as well.
Rapid Fire Questions:
Who inspires you and what makes this person so influential?
Mr. Hill: I would have to say my lovely wife, she is a much better teacher than I am and 
she inspires me to be a better person on a daily basis.
What is your favorite unit/ lesson to teach and why do you like it so much?
Mr. Hill: I would definitely have to say investing, it is my favorite because it can help anybody become a millionaire.
What is your favorite memory from teaching so far?
Mr. Hill: Probably seeing former students get off to early success in their careers.
What is something you wish your students knew, like something maybe you don’t teach?
Mr. Hill: I wish that students knew how much work that all of their teachers put into their lessons that they teach on a daily basis to try and make them better people.
What were you like as a student and how much has changed since?
Mr. Hill: I mean I would like to think I was a pretty good student. Part of that was
probably because my dad was in the building that I went to high school in. How do I think things have changed? Even when I was in high school everything was pencil and paper notes and like writing everything down and I don’t see very much of that anymore.
Finish this statement, If I wasn’t a teacher I…?
Mr. Hill: If I wasn’t a teacher I would probably be stuck in a cubicle somewhere.
What are you like outside of school and what do you spend your time doing? Only if you want to answer.
Mr. Hill: Outside of school I am the same person that I am inside of school because otherwise I would be a very fake person. What do I spend my time doing? Um, Hanging out with my wife and dog, exercising, going for long walks on the beach when possible, and watching shows.
I don’t know what else to ask you, do you have any, what’s an interesting fact about you nobody knows?
Mr. Hill: If I told you then everyone would know.
Bethany: What’s like one of those weird things people can do like roll your stomach.
Mr. Hill: I don’t know if I can do it now, but I used to be able to handstand walk.
Bethany: I mean you have room, you could try.
Mr. Hill: Hmm, it’s been a minute, but I used to race the track athletes in handstand walk competitions.
Bethany: That actually sounds like fun.
Mr. Hill: I’m trying to think when was the last time I did that, a couple years ago, I beat Lailah in a handstand walk.
Bethany: Woww, okay, that’s all I got for you.
Mr. Hill: Did I get enough minutes for you this time?
Bethany: Yeah, that’s good, that’s good, thank you.
Everyone in the school can attest to his character in and out of the classroom. Upon interviewing students and staff around the school he has impacted, they all had something charming to say about him. Not only has he impacted their lives, but has put a significant mark on everyone in our school, we are incredibly lucky to have had him as a teacher all of these years.
Mr. Finney, fellow teacher and coach to Mr. Hill said, “It is like coaching with a little brother who thinks he’s always right and everything is ALWAYS his idea… He is honestly like family to me. A lot of the kids think we are actually related with how similar we act and how we get along. I will say the absolute best thing about Kenny Hill is his parents”.”Finney is a newer teacher, but they have formed a brotherly bond in the couple years he has been here. Lots of laughs and good memories have been shared between these too.
Coach Myers, also a fellow teacher and football coach with Mr. Hill, who have both been here since we were freshman, “I admire how hard he works for everyone at our school. He is always about the kids no matter what he has going on or how much energy he has left.” Myers and Hill have been coaching together for a few years now and their trust in each other on and off the field has never wavered.
Fun fact about Mr. Hill is he has been in the same high school with his dad twice now. Once as a student and now beside him as a fellow teacher. Big Hill had some very kind words to say about his son and the career he has built for himself, “It’s been pretty cool as a parent to see the growth in him both personally and professionally and I’m proud of him and what good a job he does.”
Students like Parker Eggenberger and Drew Swadinsky who are two of Mr. Hill’s football boys also wanted to share a
few words. Drew is in one of the new classes Mr. Hill has implemented this year. It is a Sports Marketing Class, Drew says, “he is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about what he teaches and has taught us a lot about producing.” Mr. Hill has a lot to juggle so him having a new class with such great reviews from his students shows a lot about him as a teacher and his commitment.
Parker who has had Mr. Hill as a coach all four years of high school and has proven to be an excellent student and player. He is influenced by Mr. Hill both as a teacher and a coach, “he has made me a better player and student.” His light and humor have rubbed off on Parker as one of his favorite things to quote from Coach Hill is, “Kenny loves his players in his box.”
It’s been a great four years here and I wouldn’t change a thing. I have had a class with him three out of the four years I have been here. He is the type of teacher to say hi and ask how you’re doing when passing in the halls. Mr. Hill is nothing short of friendly and welcoming, he is the type of person and teacher our school needs to keep positivity alive. Mr. Hill is everyone’s hype man and cheerleader, always there to pick you up and tell you to keep going. Our school is incredibly lucky to have him as he had made these four years go by incredibly fast and so much fun. We love you Mr. Hill and Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, you deserve all the recognition in the world!!
