Name: Kathleen Goto
Age: 47
Position: Mathematics teacher
Education: University of Hawaii-Manoa, Penn State
Pastimes: Reading, sewing

And doing it well.

"Maybe I fell into it, but I never regretted it," Goto says of her decision to become a teacher in the 1970s, when professions for women were limited.

"I think working with young people helps to keep you young. It's a challenge. It's quite enjoyable actually."

She teaches advanced placement calculus and a specialized geometry class, where students replace textbooks with projects like creating a newspaper based on "Flatland," a book about life in a two-dimensional world.

Colleague David Masunaga says Goto's extensive experience in math goes beyond helping students at Iolani.

Every summer, Goto goes to the mainland to conduct seminars on teaching geometry as a National Teacher Outreach instructor.

"She has a breadth of knowledge in teaching students, also working with teachers as well, sharing with them new techniques and new technology," he said.

This year, Goto received $2,500 from the Tandy Technology Scholars program, which makes awards to top teachers in math and science.

In 1989, she was awarded the Presidential Award in Excellence for math and science teachers.