Teacher Feature: Mrs. Kathleen McNemar

Mrs. Kathleen McNemar joined the staff at Crofton High School this year as an English, Math, and Special Education teacher. Coming from Crofton Middle School, Mrs. McNemar has been teaching since 2003 and has been with AACPS since 2006.

She explained that she became a teacher because she liked the idea of having breaks, and that she came to Crofton High School because she enjoyed working with the community here. “I was excited about the opportunity of being part of something brand new.  I loved my own high school experience and thought I would really enjoy working with high school students and getting involved in all of the fun activities as well.  And it turns out that I was right, because I have had so much fun working with my students this marking period,” she said.

Mrs. McNemar graduated from Archbishop Spalding High School and earned an undergraduate degree from Towson in Sports Management. She took education courses at Anne Arundel Community College, and then earned a Master’s at Gratz College, and participated in a leadership cohort through Goucher. 

She said that her favorite part about teaching is the opportunity to help others and that she is proud of her work as an educator. “I taught myself how to sew, how to use a soldering iron, a band saw, and a drill press.  I’m proud that I’ve hung onto this career (one that didn’t come easy for me) for almost 20 years now, and I’m proud that I try to continually improve as an educator.  And right now I’m so very proud of my students, my teammates, my co-workers, and I’m extremely proud to be a part of Crofton High!” Mrs. McNemar said.

Sophomore student Christine Clem has Mrs. McNemar for Read 180 and English. Clem said that Mrs. McNemar was an amazing, understanding, and enjoyable teacher. She explains how her teacher “gives everyone a chance to participate, and doesn’t push anyone to do anything they’re not comfortable in doing.” She also added that Mrs. McNemar “helps you get to your goals.”

Mrs. McNemar was also described as a supportive teacher by English 10 teacher Ms. Nicole Schmidt, a co-teacher of  Mrs. McNemar for two English classes and Community Wellness. It was made clear that she agrees with Clem on Mrs. McNemar’s desire to help students reach their goals. As Ms. Schmidt explains, Mrs. McNmar “is always willing to meet students where they are and provide them resources and support to move toward achieving their goals.”

Ms. Schmidt sums up the feelings of both her and Clem’s when she said that Mrs. McNemar simply “wants all students to reach their potential.”