A former collegiate athlete, Kendra Payne now utilizes two of her passions: teaching honors English 10 and 11, and coaching middle school cross country and high school track and field.
Payne is not only new to Trinity this year, but she is also new to Florida, after moving from New Jersey at the end of July. She applied to various teaching positions around the country. After receiving the job offer from Trinity, she made the decision and began to pack for the move, arriving only a couple of days before the teachers were setting up for the new school year.
“It was only four or five hours out from my official interview … and then I got a phone call, and they said, ‘Hey, we’d love to offer you the job,’ and I was just kind of astonished,” Payne said. “I was just thrilled to have another opportunity to be down here and teach.”
Payne’s path to teaching, however, was not so straightforward. Like most people, it took her a bit of time to discover what it was she wanted to do with her life. Eventually, she found a passion for music and literature as well as sports.
“Like any little child, I wanted to be everything under the sun for a while,” Payne said. “I wanted to be a veterinarian, then I realized that you need to do a lot of science and math, and I wasn’t good at science and math necessarily … so then I turned my attention towards more creative pursuits, which led me to English and music.”
Payne went on to study English and music at Rhodes College, where she was part of the track and field team. Eventually, she decided to turn her love for music into a career, teaching orchestra and writing music for middle schoolers at a youth symphony orchestra for six months. Although brief, her time there helped her discover just how rewarding teaching could be.
“Having them start with this piece of music that was very challenging for them … and being able to perform together as a group rather than just figuring out how to do it individually,” Payne said. “Seeing the collaboration among students is really rewarding for me.”
During this time, Payne explored her interest in waterskiing, which she began coaching in addition to working in the school admissions office of her old high school. Working with the athletes proved very gratifying for her, especially as she saw their skills grow and develop.
“There was this one athlete of mine, and she was struggling to learn this trick, and we had been doing a ton of work, anything so that she could get confident and comfortable enough to perform it,” Payne said. “She made the decision (that) she was going to compete in one of our upcoming competitions. Then, in the competition, she made it for the first time, which was really exciting to get to experience. Not only was she able to do the skill, but she did it confidently, and believed she could do it.”
It was only after getting experience in both coaching and teaching music that Payne decided to search for a full-time teaching position in English, another one of her passions. As Payne transitions into this next chapter of her career, she is grateful for the support of her fellow teachers. Their advice has enabled her to bring new perspectives to the classroom. Although she has only been here for a short time, she has already noticed major differences in teaching the two age groups.
“With high school, I enjoy getting to hear everyone’s original ideas and hear how they’re engaging with the text in new and innovative ways,” Payne said. “Plus, the material is a little harder, so it’s more fun to dive into it.”
In addition to her teaching duties, she is also excited to take on her new role as middle school cross country and high school track and field coach. She is excited to get to know the students on both athletic and academic levels. In particular, she is thrilled to be able to coach pole vaulting with the track and field team.
“I’m always excited to coach pole vaulting, just because that’s what my specialty was in, and I feel like I’m the most knowledgeable about that,” Payne said. “It’s also a difficult event to coach and to do … but I’m excited to be able to share my knowledge.”
Ultimately, Payne is looking forward to continuing to grow as a teacher and becoming part of the Trinity family. She cannot wait for the great year ahead and seeing the students grow, and she offers them an important piece of advice.
“Be diligent in your pursuit of your goal,” Payne said. “Because one day it will pay off. But you can’t do that half-heartedly. You have to practice it like it’s already your job.”
