Dr. Ken Kirschner (also known as Coach K, Dr. K, Mr. K and apparently “Hey, you”) is an Upper School Algebra and Pre-Calculus teacher who is beloved by many of his students for the fun and humorous energy he brings to class every day. Receiving his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the University of Virginia and later a PhD at Georgia Tech in the same subject, Dr. K has years of experience in the study of math and science. But have those subjects always been an area Dr. K wanted to study?
“Probably around 10th [grade], I’d already decided that that’s kind of what I wanted to go into,” Dr. K said. “I kind of already knew I wanted to get a PhD… not for a title, but to prove to myself I could do something that’s never been done before. That’s part of getting a PhD in engineering; you have to advance the field beyond what’s already been done.”
Born and raised in Virginia, Dr. K also knew which university he wanted to attend: the University of Virginia. His experience at UVA made some of the most enduring moments in his life.
“I loved it,” Dr. K said. “My first year at Virginia, everybody had to live on campus… and you’re not allowed to have a car, so it kind of forces you just to be part of the community… [So] after that you start living with people you have a connection with. That next year, me and two people I was friends with moved into a different set of housing with a fourth person paired to us… one of those guys eventually became the best man at my wedding.”
Although his is a personal connection to Virginia through the people he met, he also had a degree in chemical engineering to get.
“It’s hard,” Dr. K said. “I mean, chemical engineering is a very difficult degree. It’s certainly in the 3 or 4 hardest degrees to get as an undergrad student… because of the grueling coursework you have to go through. But I love that stuff. [So] it really wasn’t that it was hard for me because I was just enjoying it.”
Eventually, all that studying led to a PhD from Georgia Tech, but Dr. K’s initial job wasn’t as a teacher. So what made him choose to be an educator?
“I spent the next 7 years as a consultant…,” Dr. K said. “I was traveling all over the world, helping solve chemical engineering-related problems. [But]while I love traveling, that travel was just too much. I was literally in Chile for 5 months with only 2 weeks at that time being home, at all…So my wife and I started brainstorming things I might try and do. Teaching was one of the things we threw out there, and I was like, ‘Well, sure, let’s give it a try,’ and I have loved it ever since.”
Not only does Dr. K have a role as an educator, but also as a coach of the Upper School Ultimate Frisbee team and Middle School Cross Country team. Does this present a struggle with managing teaching and coaching responsibilities?
“There’s definitely been a balance,” Dr. K said. “Since I coach 2 different sports, only half of October, November, [and] December, am I not coaching something. Every other time of the year, I’m coaching. So it’s pretty busy; long days [and] a lot of times on the weekends, I’ve got stuff that I have to do.”
His roles at Woodward are also woven into his fatherly responsibilities, as he discusses his experience as a dad of a Woodward student, Calliegh Kirschner ’26.
“I think it’s been great,” Dr. K said. ”Getting to see her up close as she continues to grow and mature and stuff has been wonderful. I mean, I see the difference at home, what I know of our daughter versus what my wife knows, just because I see her so much more often. That’s not to say that I am closer than my wife is with her. We both have different relationships, but we both have very good relationships with her. Not many people get to see their kid as they’re growing up during the work day, [and] I’ve been blessed with that.”
Coach K is known to bring a fun, open, and creative environment to the classroom, so it was no surprise that Coach K had the perfect car to describe himself as.
“2010 Mazda Miata,” Coach K said. “It was my dad’s car, and, when he passed away, it sat idle for about a year or so, and then I took it. I gave the car I was driving at the time, which was a Toyota Prius, to my brother. And so the reason I’ll say this is [not only] the sentimental side of the car, but the car is fun, it’s got some age on it, but it’s also low mileage, so it’s got a lot of good stuff ahead of it. And I like to see myself that way.”
