Instructor Spotlight: Ms. Revathi

Ms. Revathi Sundaresan is an Honors Precalculus & Trigonometry and AP Calculus BC teacher at OHS, known for her awesome personality and enthusiasm for mathematics!

Ms. Revathi always knew she was going to become a teacher. Her father was a math professor, and her brother teaches at a university. Becoming a teacher was all she wanted to do and her dream since her childhood. She says, “It’s in the blood. Teaching is what we do!” She recalls that even when she was five years old, she told her father and his colleagues that she wanted to do math. She notes that she might have had some other career ambitions, but one thing is for sure: she did not want to be a doctor. When Ms. Revathi was in ninth grade, she had to dissect a frog for her biology class. And boy, she didn’t want to. “You can fail me, but I am not going to cut that frog!” Ms. Revathi recalls that she said. She didn’t want to be an astronaut; she definitely didn’t want to be a doctor. She knew right from the start that teaching was her true calling. 

Ms. Revathi came to OHS in December 2018 and has loved it ever since. She shares that the best part of being a math teacher is when her students understand the concepts she is teaching and when they fully grasp what she is teaching. She notes, “It is important that they understand and you want them to shine.” She said the worst part of being a teacher, though, is the strict timings for classes. She says if she wants to spend an extra 15 minutes, per se, with a student who has not completely understood a concept, she can’t because of the strict 70-minute time limit for classes. 

Outside of OHS, Ms. Revathi has many amazing hobbies to fill her spare time. She is an avid reader, sharing that she has a huge library, and also enjoys listening to music, cooking (all vegetarian!), and gardening. “I have a green thumb, so anything I plant grows!” she says. In fact, Ms. Revathi has an interesting and effective way to grow avocados! First, you take a mushy avocado and take out the seed, then you peel off the thin covering of the seed. Next, you take three toothpicks and place them in the avocado like a tripod. Place this avocado-toothpick contraption into a clear plastic cup filled with water, making sure that the bottom of the avocado is submerged but not the top! With this technique, you’ll have avocados growing in no time!

Ms. Revathi has a dream that all teachers share: she hopes that she makes an impact on all her students. She recalls that when she is at a place, like a mall, some students recognize her and talk to her, and kind emails from former students just make her day. 

Her advice to all OHS students is to pursue their dreams. Knowing that being a teacher was her true calling, she hopes that she can inspire people to do what they love to do.