ONE ON ONE | Kathleen Yeloushan Working with kids 'is a passion' for educator

I see you get to move into a new school soon.
I call it my field of dreams because it is a field of dreams for these children. No other school anywhere will have the level of technology we will. To give it to these children and tell them "you can have what everyone else can have, you can do the same things," that gives them belief, it gives them hope.
What are your strongest and weakest subjects?
My strongest is more of the algebraic/calculus-type. My least strong are the ones I don't know as well, such as the new math like chaos.
How have you translated math into world outside of work?
I honestly believe almost anything in this world can be solved through either geometric or patterning solutions -- and those are very mathematical. If you look at the patterning of the rise and fall of certain cultures or the rise and fall of a certain disease, that's all looking at how often it happens. That's all through mathematical analysis.
Being an administrator, do you ever miss the classroom?
Yes, that's why I love the job I'm in right now. I'm not sitting in an administrative office designing curriculum, I'm in a building where children are. I can go out in the halls and get hugs. I get to go in classrooms and read a book and talk to the children. I don't ever want to be in a position where I'm not around children. I hope I can continue to have a small part in making a child's life better. This is a passion for me; it is not a job.
I hear you enjoy traveling?
I actually taught in England for three months. I taught mathematics. I had Adam with me, he was a sixth-grader at the time. I've been to Scotland three times, been to France, all over England, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. I love to travel. I love to see other cultures.
What do you enjoy most about it?
I'm very curious about people and history and why things happen. It sort of fits in the same way that I feel about education. It's all part of that curiosity about life.
Is there a dream vacation you haven't taken yet?
I haven't been to the northwest States. I'd love to go there. I would love to see the Asian cultures and I'd love to go to Russia.
Do you have any favorite books?
A lot of the books I read are either historical fiction or on historical people that have changed the world. I'm reading "The Three Roosevelts" right now. I'm also reading a story on Ben Franklin.
Is there one historical figure you're enthralled with?
I'm very enthralled with Queen Elizabeth I. She's what I call a transformational leader. She was able to know her people and make decisions based on what was best for her people, instead of on politics.
Does anyone of this nature impress you today?
Yes, I think Coach Jim Tressel did. He really reached out to the community, to people, and had the interest of the Youngstown area at heart. He tried to change the image of who we were here by looking at the people. ... He believed in us, I think.
Are you a sports fan?
Both sons played college football and I enjoy certain sports. But I'm a terrible athlete so I enjoy sports from afar.
Do you have any hobbies?
I live in a restored home, so collecting antiques has always been exciting for me.
What interests you about old homes?
The warmth and the history. Knowing that it's been there a very long time ... lots of people lived in it and loved it. The same reason that I love to read and that I like classical music, it's all about the intrigue of the past and knowing more about today.