I had the chance to ask Mr. Steven Stevenson, first year Cotter English teacher and counselor, a few questions about his background and early impressions of Cotter.  Here’s what he had to say:

Where did you grow up?

In Conroe, Texas

How did you get connected with Cotter?

My family moved to Minnesota, and my wife gave me information about Cotter, so I decided I’d like to work here.

What is your background? Where did you go to college? What did you study?

I studied English Literature at Colorado College.

How long and where have you been teaching?

I taught eight years in Texas, six years in Bahrain, and for four years in the Virgin Islands.

What ideas do you bring to the school?

I want to try new things like advising and counseling in college. I want to teach more in-depth English to students.

 What are some of your interested and hobbies?

My main interest outside of school  is my family and I like to do a lot of reading.

 How long do you plan on working here? Do you have future plans?

I hope to work for Cotter until retirement.

Do you have any future goals?

I am interested in pursuing a PhD.

What are your first impressions of Cotter?

My first reaction was that all of the staff had great morals and similar ideas to my own, and I felt that Cotter is a really calm place, compared with other schools.

 How is the job going so far?

All is going pretty well and teaching here is very fun. I love the spirit that everybody gives out is great and being able to share my ideas with my students.

What are the challenges?

Cotter is old and time-honored, so I want to try new things that the school hasn’t before. Also there are lots of staff additions this year, I think it can be helpful to try new things

What would you like to see happen in the school this year?

I would like to see greater level of friendship and interaction between the day students and boarding students.

What do you want fo Cotter’s students?

I hope students can give themselves a chance to study. The most important thing is to have students feel interested in their studies.

 What is your spirit animal? and why?

-Giraffe, because of my high stature and I sometimes move slowly, I think these are similar giraffe characteristics.

What is your philosophy of life?

“Life is far too important to be taken seriously”

Is there anything else you would like to say?

I’m glad to be here, and hope that I can change Cotter to a better place in the future.