Students: Good luck on Jeopardy! Ms. Whitten! Woo!
My's Catherine Whitten. I'm from Plano, Texas. I teach at Jasper High School. I teach an AP European history course, and then a humanities course as well for gifted students.
What's the most rewarding aspect of being a teacher?
I think my favorite part of being a teacher and what I find most rewarding is that the--I hear from the students a lot that they really enjoy my class, that I'm making an impact on their lives, uh, so getting that kind of instant feedback is so rewarding. It--it just you makes you feel like, at the end of the day, that you're doing a good job and making a difference in the world.
Did your students help you prepare for the show?
Uh, my students did help me prepare for the show, uh, to an extent. I actually am the Whiz Quiz sponsor at my school. So my Whiz Quiz team, which is like a-a quiz bowl, uh, did a lot of question/answer with me, and they--they like to try and stump the experts when it comes to Ms. Whitten, so...
What is your dream category?
Uh, anything dealing with English monarchs would be an absolute dream category for me.
Any messages for your students?
Uh, good luck to Whiz Quiz team this year, and especially for those that are actually trying out to be on Jeopardy! Teen Tournament.
Tune in! You might learn a thing or two!
...
How does it feel to advance to the semifinals?
Wow, it's a dream come true. I mean, just being here, uh, is amazing, but advancing to the semifinals is just, like, an incredible feeling. I'm kind of overwhelmed, actually.
How did you prepare for the Teachers Tournament?
I prepared for the tournament in part by working with my, uh, Whiz Quiz team at my school. I'm the sponsor. So, they had a lot of questions that they wanted to ask me and, uh, see if they could stump the expert.
Any messages for your students?
The one message I would send to my students is just to keep working hard and keep your goals in sight, and you can do just about anything.
Will you watch Jeopardy! in your classroom when the show airs?
Well, in our, uh, market, Jeopardy! actually airs, uh, in the morning, so we're going to be showing it live in class. So it might get them out of a test that day, actually, come to think of it. I think they'll be fine with that. [Smiles] |
