Meet Faculty Member Peter Kahn
by Lori Mahmud P'08

Peter Kahn’s Algebra II class is not a staid math lecture; instead it is an animated conversation about math. Students freely ask questions and Peter adeptly steers them into a discussion about the particular problem. He asks the students to reason as well as solve. When an answer is given, Peter asks the student if he or she thinks the answer “makes sense.” When a problem becomes frustrating, Peter puts it on the “back burner” for a while. Not willing to give up on the problem just yet, at least one student begs, “Just tell us the answer!” Peter laughs and makes it clear that they will have to solve the problem themselves. Simply put, a lot of thinking goes on in Peter’s class.

This is Peter’s third year at Milton Academy. Before coming to Milton he taught for four years at Blair Academy in New Jersey. In addition to teaching, Peter coaches boys’ soccer and girls’ basketball. Peter says coaching is a way for him to get to know students outside of the classroom. For Peter, the community aspect of school is important. He lives on campus and likes being part of the campus lifestyle. He also enjoys being near the city of Boston and says that he and his girlfriend have had lots of company since moving close to the popular tourist destination.

Peter teaches Honors Geometry, Algebra II and Pre Calculus. Peter’s comfortable relationship with math is long term. He excelled in mathematics early on – he remembers being ahead of the curriculum as early as first grade. He went on to study at Johns Hopkins and planned to become a chemical engineer. Peter decided to teach instead. Initially, Peter’s intention was simply to try out teaching and see how he liked it. Seven years later, Peter says he’s not trying it out anymore, he really is a teacher. He is indeed a teacher, a teacher who knows his subject, communicates well, and genuinely likes students.

[BACK TO CENTRE CONNECTION]