From Least Favorite Subject to Passion

Considering the fact that his least favorite subject in high school was English, it may seem ironic that teaching it is what teacher Kevin Rinald now does five days a week.

Rinald grew up in Albemarle County and attended Albemarle County High School. “My favorite subjects in high school were math and physics as they always seemed like puzzles to be solved,” he said. In fact, he attended George Mason University to major in computer science, but later switched to English with a concentration in Linguistics. After graduating, Rinald attended the University of Virginia for a masters in education.

Currently teaching English 10, Rinald says he finds English easier to teach than other subjects because of how flexible it is. “You can read or write about anything, and while there is a curriculum to follow, the subject lends itself to provide a real blank canvas in which to teach the skills,” he explained. Another factor he enjoys about English is writing. “I think one of the biggest things that make us human is to share and connect with other people, which is an important skill to develop through writing,” he said.

Rinald has had numerous hobbies, including swimming, drawing and animating, designing and running a hydroponic garden, playing video games, playing board games, adding on to his Lego collection, playing piano, doing the daily New York Times crossword, and reading all kinds of genres. “I firmly believe that there is so much out there to experience in life, so I am always trying new things and seeing what sticks,” he said.

He struggles to pick a favorite book since he feels every book he has read has stuck out and taught him something. However, if he had to choose one book, he said he would pick Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. “It’s hard to put the book into words, but something about the idea of the same character being connected through many different lives drew me in,” Rinald said.

Another book he enjoys and teaches to students every semester is They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, in which he reads the Japanese parts out loud for students. Being fluent in Japanese, Rinald said this always comes as a shock to students that he can read and speak Japanese.