Kaitlin Cowles grew up in nearby Canton, CT, and graduated from Canton High School before attending the George Washington University in Washington, DC. While enrolled at GW, Kaitlin worked as a teaching assistant in the chemistry department, was a member of the university's NCAA Division I gymnastics team, and graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Chemistry.
Kaitlin came to Porter’s in 2017 as a teaching fellow in the mathematics department through the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education's Boarding School Teaching Residency. While completing their master's coursework and thesis, Kaitlin taught mathematics, coached several sports, and served as a dorm affiliate in Lathrop and Cottage.
In the spring of 2019, Kaitlin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education with an M.S.Ed. and has since worked as a full-time member of the Porter's faculty, teaching in both the mathematics and science departments.
As an educator, Kaitlin aims to create equitable, collaborative, and supportive classroom communities where students feel seen, heard, and respected. Kaitlin fundamentally believes that all students can understand challenging concepts, and that understanding begins with mindfully examining feelings of shame around "not yet knowing" and building confidence in one's ability to ask questions of ourselves and others. When we can recognize the tools and resources we already have within ourselves and our community, we can create a path forward toward a shared understanding and collaborative problem solving in any context.
Outside of the classroom, Kaitlin works as an advisor to a small group of students, a faculty advisor to the student-led Spectrum Alliance, and coaches Squash and Track & Field.
In their free time, Kaitlin enjoys various types of arts and crafts, including but most definitely not limited to, knitting, crochet, embroidery, cross-stitch, digital art, painting, sculpture, decoupage, and upcycling.
