In her 12 years here, English teacher Catherine Boswell has built strong relationships with students and staff members alike, guided by her own experiences and passions. Growing up, she balanced different interests and activities, including everything from collegiate athletics to commercial real estate to her theatrical talents.
Boswell grew up in Montgomery County, attending St. John’s College High School in Washington D.C. and participating in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, from swim and soccer teams to figure skating to dance to theater. After graduating, she went to East Carolina University, where she played Division II water polo. “I initially went to college for voice and dance and there’s not a whole lot to do with that… I switched majors and I decided to get a degree in English,” Boswell said, though she did also receive her degree in voice and dance.
After leaving East Carolina, she enrolled in graduate school at the University of Maryland for education, because she had “always liked teaching” and “always liked working with people,” Boswell said. However, her career path was not quite as clear-cut as it may sound. At one point, she was working in real estate, which helped her realize that the “cube farm, like living and working in a cubicle” was not for her; at another, she applied–and got in–to law school, before ultimately realizing that teaching suited her Best.
Boswell was first hired to teach middle school, and she spent six years there before coming to Wootton. Her favorite class that she currently teaches is Honors English 12, because she said she “really just [enjoys] working with seniors… They’re getting ready to start a new part of their life.”
She is also one of the teachers helping to pilot the brand-new AP Seminar 10 class. Although the course is in its infancy, which means more work for her in learning how to prepare and teach lessons, it has been fun so far. The students are “rising to the occasion,” Boswell said. “It’s not an easy class and there’s a lot of work involved but they are doing it and they seem to be enjoying it.” Senior Noor Mahmoud, who took Boswell’s Honors English 10 class two years ago, said she “thoroughly enjoyed” the course, and that her teacher “kept the class engaged, promoted meaningful conversations, and encouraged student participation.”
Over her years at this school, Boswell has made great memories with her students. Describing herself as a relaxed and hard-to-fluster, her goal is to make sure kids are having positive experiences in her class. She said she most enjoys teaching when everyone in the classroom is having fun and engaged, and when she can “[talk] to the kids” and give them any wisdom she can.
She also has developed lasting relationships with her fellow staff members, including English teacher Melissa Kaplan–with whom she co-sponsors the debate club–and ASL teacher Lea Clark. The latter, who met Boswell close to a decade ago while working in the same department, said that together, they comprise a trio of “besties.” The three of them hang out frequently outside of school, including an annual trip they take together every September to Boswell’s family vacation house. “We go to dinner, we sit on the beach,” Clark said. “She’s awesome. We are kindred spirits… she’s funny, she’s very honest and to the point.”
In her free time, Boswell spends a lot of time with her friends and family, particularly her five nieces and nephews, who she calls her “favorite people.” She is also passionate about traveling; she most recently visited Portugal. She has been “all over” the world, with Japan and Estonia being her favorites so far, Boswell said.
As an English teacher, her hobbies also include reading, a passion she hopes to share with her students. Boswell said her favorite moments are when kids tell her they liked a book she selected for them, or that it was the first one they had ever finished for school.
