A common misconception made by students is that teachers come to school only to teach and grade papers. Some interesting hobbies that take place outside of school are gardening, working on cars, and knitting. Chris Kesterson, Mark Decourcy, and Marie Scott are teachers at The Mill and all find a way to set aside the demands of their careers. Hobbies acquired throughout their lives block out the stress from long days and take their mind off things.

Science teacher and cross country head coach Chris Kesterson enjoys working on cars when he is not in the classroom or on the track. Kesterson works on cars at his house or with friends at their houses weeknights and on weekends.

Kesterson found his love for cars at very young age.

“I’ve always been interested in cars and being able to fix something,” Kesterson said.

Kesterson began working on cars at the age of nineteen when he met his friend, Jerems Lee. He now works on cars 2-3 times a week.

“Ever since I started, I couldn’t put down a wrench,” Kesterson said.

He said he enjoys working on older cars like Mustangs and Camaros because he likes to learn how cars from the past work. But he doesn’t just make minor repairs and adjustment. Kesterson redoes the entire car when he fixes them.

“I enjoy learning about how all of the systems in a car work,” Kesterson said.

While Kesterson finds comfort and peace in grease and oil, social studies teacher Mark Decourcy prefers gardening.

“It seemed like such a fun thing to do and something to get my fingernails dirty,” Decourcy said.

Decourcy started gardening when he bought his first house at age 25. He said that he wanted to start because he likes to eat fresh vegetables and grow flowers. Decourcy mainly gardens in the summer and spring in his frontyard and backyard. He also does some container gardening on his back patio. Decourcy tends his garden at least once a week.

He grows fresh veggies including corn and green beans, and seasonal flowers such as petunias. His favorite things to grow are green beans and dallas red lantana flowers. Decourcy said he wouldn’t sell what he grows but he does trade it.

“I usually have a ton of green beans and would swap those with whatever other folks have,” Decourcy said.

French teacher Marie Scott’s hobby began in elementary school. She grew up in Belgium where learning how to knit at a young age was standard. Scott said that she learned a lot from her mom however, knitting was also a class in school.

“We learned to knit in elementary school and even a little bit in middle school and high school,” Scott said.

Scott said she went to an all girl school in Brussels, Belgium, called Maria Boodschap Lyceum, where she practiced knitting once a week for an hour. Now, Scott knits in her free time while she watches TV.

Scott knits anything from sweaters to scarves to blankets. As scarves have become more popular over the years, they’ve become her main craft.  She has even made blue and black scarves to show her panther pride.

“I always have a little project but it’s not a daily thing,” Scott said. “It’s more for relaxation.”

Whether it’s something to get their hands dirty and learn about or knitting a scarf for a colleague, students will be surprised that teachers have lives outside of school.