New Alumni Spotlight! Katlyn Moore ('20) Discusses Being a Teacher and Team Leader

I received my undergraduate degree in Secondary English Education at Towson University in 2011. Upon graduating, I immediately sought to find a job, set up my classroom, and embark on my journey of inspiring the next generation.  After teaching middle school for one year, I transferred to Oakland Mills High School, where I have enjoyed teaching ever since.  As a teacher, I am required to pursue higher education. Most of my colleagues were pursuing master’s degrees in curriculum design or educational technology. But Dr. McCarthy’s talk at an information session about UMBC’s Texts, Technology, and Literature M.A. program really inspired me. 

Because I was teaching full time, my journey through the TTL program took time. My homework assignments ranged from attending a professional performance of a Shakespeare play to creating a full documentary about a children’s center in an underserved community in Baltimore. Each semester, I looked forward to seeing the available course options. Throughout the program I watched the diverse teaching strategies of my professors, strategies that I now integrate into my own practice.

After receiving my master’s degree in 2020, I became the English team leader for the English Department at Oakland Mills High School. The education I received at UMBC has helped me feel more confident and knowledgeable in teaching my own students, as well as helping the members of my team teach theirs.  Now, twelve years into my teaching career, I won’t say it’s not hard work, but I truly look forward to going to class each day to help young people discover their own potential.