Krista Larson

Krista Larson is one of the many teachers that have been dedicated to the students at Portland High School. She has been teaching for 20 years, 15 of those years in Portland. She has taught Geometry, Algebra and Pre-Calculus.

Larson has always wanted to be a teacher. Although she didn't start pursuing it until she was an adult. She would first start as a four-year undergrad student in UConn, where she studied Business Administration, and earned her Marketing major. “So that did not prepare me for teaching at all,” she said. Eventually Larson would start working at Mass Mutual, in Springfield, Mass. 

Mass Mutual wasn't something Larson enjoyed, however it gave her experience in planning events for school and being a class advisor later into her career. She would further have to make the decision to go back to school for teaching. Larson would then become a teacher under a DESAP (durational shortage area permit) starting her career as a math teacher.

In her 15 years of teaching in Portland, Larson’s style is something some students struggle with at first, and for other students, it is the most effective way of learning.  

When asked about these different reactions from students Larson stated, “I think students need to that their teacher is confident when they're taking the class. It's when the teacher isn't really confident, I think learning does not take place.” 

Some students tend to give up easily when it comes to not understanding the material. Larson knows as a teacher, that you as a student can keep going, that's why she's so eager to exude confidence. Students are not going to get where they need without self-confidence and awareness. Larson’s goal is to not let students doubt themselves, and that stems from years of discovering her career. She never gave up on her dreams for teaching, so she’s not a teacher that lets her students give up on themselves, which makes her one of the most ethical teachers we have in Portland today.