Kyle Hibbert, Math Teacher at Century High School in Hillsboro, Oregon
Nominated By: Michelle Fellows (parent)
This is Kyle Hibbert’s first year teaching and he is my daughter’s 10th grade math teacher. Here’s a little background about my kiddo. She was bullied in grade school since she was in the 3rd grade and up until 6th grade. Once she made it to Jr. High it stopped. Up until that time she had pretty much shut down and didn't do well in school. Math was her toughest subject. She never got a grade higher than an F. We were told she was so far behind and was missing so much information. As a parent I know her ability and what she was getting in Math was not her true potential. Jr. High helped her find her voice and her courage again and she was no longer shut down and became the kiddo we knew her to be. Math was still a struggle and I honestly didn't know what to do. This year is her first year in high school and since day 1 of this year she has been getting A's and B's on her tests and homework. She is so close to an A and her father and I couldn't be more proud of her. The only thing we can figure is Kyle Hibbert was the one person to bring her potential out of her and help her realize how amazing she is and how much ability she has. He is so positive and full of energy and that is witnessed by the kids in his class. He has made such a difference in my daughter’s life and ours. We no longer have tears when doing math homework and now it is fun and she is helping her friend with her math. Thank you Kyle Hibbert. He really deserves this recognition.
Congrats, Kyle, from all of us at K103! Get to know Kyle Hibbert:
What inspired you to become an educator?
I have a couple major inspirations. First, my mom and sister are both teachers, and I’ve always looked up to them. The job seems to run in the family! Also, I was never the best student. I was never motivated by learning and always did the minimum to get by. I look at teaching as an opportunity to be able to use the examples of my mistakes in order to help our current students avoid them, and to follow their dreams.
What do you like most about teaching?
The best part about teaching is seeing the growth that students make over time, not only in math, but also as people.
What has changed the most since you began your career in education?
I’m in my first year of teaching, so I can’t really compare two different time periods of education. In these first months, the biggest changes I’m noticing, however, are to my teaching style… and how I’ve grown and changed as a teacher over the past few months.
What would you like parents to know about your job?
That it’s absolutely awesome to grow as a teacher alongside of their children who are growing as students at the same time, and I’m proud of every single one of them.
Share a story about your favorite teacher/educator.
In high school, I feel that I got the most out of my French teacher, Ms. Sirovy. She was somebody who made school fun for me, and it’s something that I try to pass forward in my teaching: making math and school fun. Plus, she put up with a lot of trouble out of me.
Share a favorite story about your years in education.
Again, as a first year teacher, my list of stories definitely has room to grow. At this time, it’s close between the times in which a student has come up to me and told me that I’ve “actually made them like math” or the apology note from one of my classes that states “I’m sorry that we’re loud, it’s just puberty” that is hanging on my wall in my room.
Each week during the school year, K103 and Concordia University will honor a local educator. Each week, our honored educator receives:
- $103 Gift Card for Classroom School Supplies
- The Crystal Apple Award
- A Concordia University Continuing Education Scholarship