I'm Kathleen Whitfield, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the Class of 2024!

I have a B.A. in English and American studies from the University of Notre Dame. 

I'm starting my fifth full year at Plano Senior after receiving my M.Ed. and teaching credential from Southern Methodist University in December '18. 

You know how people say, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could?" Well, that's me, since I was born in Massachusetts and have lived all over the country. It also describes how I feel about teaching. It's the vocation I didn't realize I had. Before beginning at Plano, I worked for newspapers and as the editor of a parenting magazine. I got a taste of teaching when I began running small classes that prepared students to take high-stakes tests and helped them with their college admissions essays, as I was very interested in the college admissions game as a high school student.

My husband and I have five children. Most have graduated, except for one future Wildcat, who will be a member of Plano Senior's Class of 2030. 

My goal for my students is to increase their love of reading and help increase their overall literacy.

Some things I love: reading, baseball (I wrote my Honors thesis on baseball fiction), crazy shoes, and my husband and kids -- both my biological ones and the ones on loan to me for the year. 

My favorite writers (in no particular order) include James Baldwin, Haruki Murakami, David Foster Wallace, Dave Eggers, Graham Greene, Flannery O'Connor, Natasha Trethewey, Jason Reynolds, Jorge Luis Borges, and Elizabeth Acevedo. And so many more.

I am also delighted to be advisor to Hope Squad. Hope Squad is a national organization that aims to reduce youth suicide through education, training, and peer intervention.