Revealing teacher’s hidden passions

     Teachers are known in school for the subjects they teach, whether they are strict or laid-back, mean or nice, funny or serious.. However, have you ever wondered what they’re ‘known for’ out of school?

     For example, math teacher Mrs. Wenke Green fosters dogs when she’s not drilling the Pythagorean theorem into students’ heads. “I started fostering shortly after rescuing a dog that was tied up outside his whole life,” Green says, “that inspired me to start volunteering at a local rescue to help more dogs in need.”

     However, more recently Green has not been able to foster after “foster failing” and ending up adopting the dog a few years ago. “I now spend the little free time I have to help run a dog rescue called Adopt a Homeless Animal Rescue.” She also takes care of their Facebook page, adds dogs to the adoption sites, assists people with rehoming their pets and organizes events/fundraisers.

     The algebra teacher also started flipping houses “eight years ago with a friend.”  She said after they sold the first house, they decided to keep going. “Every house we owned, we moved into when it was in poor condition and worked on it after school and on weekends to fix it up.”

     “I love seeing the before and after pictures,” Green says, “We have flipped a few houses but with young kids it is a lot harder these days since we do not have family around to watch them. The last two houses we decided to rent out instead of selling as long-term investments.”

     Another teacher with a not-so surprising talent is NH  choir, guitar, and piano teacher Ms. Katelyn Hemling.  The teacher performs opera  outside of school. Hemling started singing opera in her “junior year of high school.”

     “Opera singing found me, when I started taking voice lessons, I loved singing in choirs but I wasn’t a super strong pop or broadway singer,” she explains. Her voice teacher then suggested Hemling tried opera.. At first, she thought “ew” because she was 16 at the time. 

     However, she says “I started learning some different pieces and songs in Italian, German and other languages. I really enjoyed the way that it worked for my voice and it felt really good.”

    While Hemling is singing, science teacher  Mrs. Laura O’Leary, finds her  passion in rescuing and caring for reptiles. Currently, she has three tortoises “two red footed” named Mountain and Phyllis, and one ornamental box turtle named Tripod. 

     All of O’Leary’s tortoises were rescued or given to her because “the owner did not want them.” The teacher also has a diamond black terrapin named Frederica who she says  is “adorable and is 25 years old.” As well as two bearded dragons awaiting six eggs that should hatch soon.

     The hobbies don’t end there.  Math teacher Mrs. Evelyn Kimberly started knitting when she was just eight years old. “Within a couple hours, [a friend of my mother’s] had taught me how to do two basic stitches that are the foundation of knitting, which are knit and purl.”

     The teacher’s favorite thing she’s ever knitted was a “black and gray Fair Isle sweater that [she] made for [her] husband.” She also adds that “the pattern was so challenging that [she] felt a great sense of accomplishment when it was completed.”