Preast confesses: 'I'm not a brainiac'
BY CHARLOTTE SMITH Editor

DR. KATIE PREAST

It doesn't take a math genius to see that Dr. Katie Preast's professional abilities and personal qualities add up to a winning formula for Troup ISD.

In her third year as executive director of curriculum and instruction for the district, Preast's skills serve her well as she pilots the school through a sea of educational mandates and plays "cruise director" for campus celebrations and office events.

"Not only can she discuss the intricate data that the state and federal governments issue in measuring our district, but she makes a mean peanut brittle," said Supt. Marvin Beaty, who hired the former math professor as curriculum director, but also asked her to shepherd certain extracurricular activities.

"She separates work and play very well. When it is time to work, the admin team works very hard. But when work is over we truly enjoy one another's company," said Beaty. "Katie was instrumental in making our workplace a comfortable family atmosphere."

Family atmosphere, or influence, is what led Preast to the education profession, as well as the field of math.

"I've known since the fifth grade that I wanted to be a math teacher," she said, citing the influence of her parents, grandmother and other relatives who taught. She most closely followed in the footsteps of her father, a PhD in mathematics.

"I was one of four children. Two could do math, two couldn't," said Preast. "I happened to be one that could."

Though she professes an enjoyment of math, she also confesses that being good at it doesn't make her "the brainiac that everybody thinks you are."

Of course, carrying around blackbelt-level Sudoku books ("an obsession, not a hobby") and working the number puzzles while she talks on the phone does nothing to change that perception.

"She is one of the most intelligent persons I have ever known," said Bill Lacy, who currently serves on the Troup school board and took a college algebra night class from Preast in 1988.

"She was a fantastic teacher," he said. "She taught you more than math, she taught you how to think. I was thrilled when she joined the Troup ISD team."

Preast came to Troup in 2004 after 15 years at Tyler Junior College, where she served as managing director/chair/ instructor of mathematics, as well as the coordinator for the Accelerated Certification for Educators Program.

"I spent a lot of time teaching teachers," Preast said, although her students ran the gamut from future educators to those just filling a required math credit. She took a particular satisfaction in teaching older students, those who were returning to school after a significant break in their education.

"I spent a lot of time working with adults," she said. "It can be more difficult - adults tend not to pick it up as quickly. But they are much more interested and willing to work."

That willingness to work is something that Preast can attest to in her own education. "I did not make straight As," said the Lubbock native. "I was a good student, but I had to study."

As she progressed through college, she also faced subjects that she had not been exposed to in high school.

"I didn't take any physics until I had my master's," said Preast. "I eventually made an A, but that first test was a C."

Preast earned her first degree, an Associate of Arts in General Studies, in 1981; 18 years later she completed her Doctorate of Education. Along the way, she married and began her own family.

"I was engaged at 18 when I left for college," she said. She attended the University of Oklahoma for one semester. "I loved it, but I was lonely for him."

She returned to Texas and married Bobby Preast in the spring of 1980, the same year that they moved to Whitehouse and Preast began attending TJC. In hindsight, she would have waited until she was older to get married, but "I would have married the same man," she said with a smile.

"My husband was always there so I could go back to school. He was never interested in college, but he understands the importance of it," said Preast.

"I did my education when my kids were young, before they started getting involved in things," she added. "I would not have wanted to miss out on what they were doing."

Both children have followed in their mother's footsteps in different ways. Son Br yan inherited the math gene, and daughter Misty has the outgoing personality. In Dr. Preast, it's a combination that's hard to beat, allowing her to do a tough job without stepping on toes.

"The great thing about Dr. Preast is that she is a nonintrusive individual," said Supt. Beaty. "Most curriculum directors are seen as interlopers and meddlers.

"Katie is seen in the opposite light. She is a warm individual that is welcomed by teachers and principals alike."

That's essential, since Preast sees her job as primarily one of support and guidance (mountains of paperwork notwithstanding).

"I tell them, 'hang in there, you can do it.' Teachers need to hear that, too," she said.

"Dr. Preast is so knowledgeable, organized and willing to be the motivator and cheerleader for the administrators, teachers and staff, that working with her is a pleasure," said Melody Allen, secretary to the superintendent.

"I love the fact that I work with Dr. Preast now as a teacher at Troup," added former student Amber Turner. "She is a wonderful motivator and a true inspiration to me."

"I was raised to be kind to people," said Preast. "It's just the way you address people. I believe in being kind."

Preast's success at Troup can also be measured in the school's TAKS performance, with all three campuses being Recognized this year; however, she says the teachers deserve the majority of the credit.

"There is a lot of TAKS pressure here, and it comes from the top down," she explained. "But the work comes from the bottom up."