A new San Diegan, Digital Media teacher Ms. Linda Okoth has over 20 years of experience teaching art and photography in Virginia. Coming from a similarly-sized K-12 school, she has adjusted well. When she has free time, she loves to make art and spend time with her family. She is looking forward to making an impact on all her students at Bishop’s by showing them the wonders of photography and art, and the joy of finding that perfect shot or capturing a landscape on canvas.
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a teacher?
Being an art teacher always seemed like a “dream job” to me as a child, and I did consider majoring in art education while in art school. Yet, the university I attended had a one-of-a-kind undergraduate program in art conservation, which combined my love of art and science, so I went in that direction. After working in that field for about ten years, I took a break to attend to family responsibilities, and during that time, I discerned that I wanted to use my background in art materials and methods to teach art. Sometimes knowing takes time!
Q: What would you say is your favorite part about being a teacher?
At my core, I love wondering, learning, being curious, and creating. Being a teacher involves celebrating and nurturing those actions. Every day something happens in the classroom that feels transformational; art has been a change agent in my own life, and I see its power in the students’ experiences.
Q: As a photography teacher, do you have a favorite photo or painting? Why is it your favorite?
I have about a hundred “top five” paintings, photos, sculptures and drawings. Yet, one artist that I return to again and again is Chiura Obata, a Japanese-American painter and printmaker. His life story really has its highs and lows, and yet he always seemed to find beauty in any situation, including his time in an internment camp in the Utah desert during World War II — despite being a US citizen who had lived in this country for four decades, and was a professor at UC Berkeley! While imprisoned, he created a beautiful watercolor painting on silk, Moonlight Over Topaz, Utah, which was given as a gift to Mrs. Roosevelt. It reminds me of the ways art can provide a vehicle for self-expression that has no substitute.
Q: Upon some research, I saw that you taught for about 20 years at Flint Hill School in Virginia. How would you compare that school to Bishop’s?
I think Flint Hill and Bishop’s have a lot in common. They are both relatively large independent schools with similar student populations and attention to academic excellence, character development, and creating a positive student experience.
Q: What has been the biggest change you noticed from Virginia to San Diego?
The weather seems the obvious choice [and] with good reason — there are so many ‘near perfect’ days in San Diego. I feel like I’ve reclaimed ‘living’ during months that are difficult to get through in Virginia because of the weather. I just need to remember the sunblock.
Q: If you could impact the Bishop’s community in one way, what would it be?
I may never know my impact, but I’ll dare to dream with this question. I hope that my being a part of this community helps students to discover the joy in their voice and vision.
Q: What are some of your favorite things to do in your free time?
I love spending time with my family, hiking at Torrey Pines Reserve, and walking around with my dog, Blue, who is a very lively standard poodle. I also enjoy drawing and painting, making fiber art, writing poetry and short stories, and reading.
