Although she’s new to teaching English at Los Altos High School this year, Kayley Gould knows the school better than most.
Born and raised in Los Altos, Gould attended Santa Rita Elementary School, Egan Middle School, and eventually LAHS itself.
“I love this school,” Gould said. “I wouldn’t be back if I didn’t.”
In fact, this isn’t her first time returning. She took on various roles before finding herself teaching World Literature Honors and Survey Composition and Literature. Gould began working at LAHS in 2020 as an AVID tutor. She then started coaching water polo and diving. Later, while pursuing her master’s in education at Stanford University, she became a student teacher for World Literature and Survey classes.
Throughout her teaching journey, Gould has gotten to work alongside her former high school teachers — an experience that she describes as exciting rather than intimidating.
“I feel so lucky to be here because I get to learn from people I really respect, ask them for advice or just sit in their classes and observe,” Gould said. “They are some of the best teachers in the world.”
That admiration is mutual. Keren Dawson-Bowman, Gould’s AP Language teacher, said that the shift from student to colleague felt natural.
“I love working with her and she makes me a better teacher,” Dawson-Bowman said.
Gould said she owes part of her success to teaching in her hometown.
“Here, students from different backgrounds, who have different access to resources, are all put in the same classroom,” Gould said. “I know how hard it is for some kids and how to best support them.”
Her teaching approach is also shaped largely by her own experiences and insight. Like many students, Gould once put a lot of pressure on herself to succeed at LAHS.
“I stressed too much about grades when I was here,” Gould said. “I’m happy that I did well and I don’t regret working hard, but I wish I had focused on other things as well.”
It’s a lesson Gould hopes to pass on as she makes a point of reminding her students that she understands what it’s like to be in their shoes.
“Teenagers are so good at seeing through everything, so I just try to be myself,” Gould said. “I am not perfect, and I don’t try to be.”
