Kate Fahrner grew up imagining she would end up as an actress or a singer, but instead has found herself teaching special education at the high school she attended as a teen.
She compares working at her old high school to living in the twilight zone. Fahrner notes that Albany High is much bigger now, especially with the cafeteria and the new pool. She claims that it was much less crowded when she was a student here and there were only about 900 students.
However, she finds it very comfortable to work here, as she is familiar with the community, and most of the teachers. She said, “The best part of working here is the kids,” and described them as funny, respectful, and interesting.
She also notes that it is “easy to connect with the kids as an alumna of Albany High.”
In college, Fahrner studied as an undergrad at Occidental, and majored in Politics and French. After college, she decided to go to law school, and wanted to study family law, knowing that she wanted to work with kids in some way.
Eventually, though, she decided not to go to law school. Fahrner then traveled to South America, where she learned Spanish, which she now appreciates because it helps her to communicate more easily with some of her students. She also moved around to Portland and France after traveling in South America.
Fahrner worked at Albany High for one year as a teacher aid in 2007, initially under the impression that she wouldn’t end up becoming a teacher. However, as she continued working that year, Fahrner realized how rewarding and fun it was to work with the kids.
After her travels, Fahrner decided to become a special education teacher. She went back to school and got her BA, and worked as a peer educator. She is currently working on her master’s degree in education, and working at Albany High is helping her in that regard.
Looking back, it seems natural that Fahrner would end up as a special education teacher. She has always worked with kids as a babysitter, a swimming instructor, and even volunteered with special education for a summer in Albany with the Transition program.
When she’s not at school, Fahrner enjoys cooking, baking, and yoga. While some of her friends outside of Albany describe their jobs as boring, Fahrner says that she is never bored here, and said, “it’s rewarding and interesting, and I definitely want to continue working here!”
