Mr. Mitchell: department chair, math teacher, Mock Trial moderator, card game enthusiast, new dad

Many students may know Mr. Billy Mitchell as an entertaining teacher that teaches math and science at Carroll. However, many students may not know that he does other things outside of school like run a podcast and raise his daughter.

Mr. Mitchell was born in Phoenixville and was the middle child of his five siblings. Early in his childhood, his family was very into sports but drifted off into other interests as they reached high school.

Early in life, Mr. Mitchell knew that he wanted to become a math teacher. From elementary school, Mitchell had a passion for math. He credits his teachers from elementary school to college for being mentors for him.

“I was very lucky to have many teachers who were excellent at teaching math,” said Mr. Mitchell. “Regardless of what career you choose, it’s important to focus on the job that is meaningful to you.”

Mr. Mitchell received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Immaculata University. He then went on to receive his master’s degree in educational leadership from there as well.

At Carroll, Mr. Mitchell has taught different courses that range from math to science. Mr. Mitchell also is the chair of the math department at Carroll. As the head of the department, Mr. Mitchell deals with basically everything that has to do with mathematics.

“As the head of the math department, sometimes my job is advocating for certain classes to be run, sometimes it’s reviewing lesson plans or tests, other times I’m talking to administrators about the Performance Series or PSATs or AP classes,” said Mr. Mitchell, “I’m very lucky to be able to work with very strong educational minds at Carroll.”

Mitchell enjoys different things about the Carroll community. He likes working with his coworkers and being involved in different activities, like Mock Trial and Kairos. Mr. Mitchell runs the Carroll’s Mock Trial team. Mock Trial is a competition in which students simulate a real trial against other schools. Mitchell says that Mock Trial is one of his favorite activities at Carroll.

“Mock Trial is really fun and Mr. Mitchell always creates a great energy during all of the meetings,” said Amaya Hickson, junior.

Recently, Mr. Mitchell and his wife welcomed their first daughter in the world. Mitchell says that being a father is exhausting but it is the most worthwhile thing he has ever done.

“It sounds cliche but it feels like everything I have done in my life has been preparing me for fatherhood,” said Mr. Mitchell. “It’s been a fun journey raising a little person with someone that I love.”

Outside of school, Mr. Mitchell enjoys playing Magic: the Gathering, which is a card game. Mr. Mitchell has been playing the game for the past 21 years. However, he had to balance out his participation in the game because of him being a teacher and now a father. Mr. Mitchell also hosts a weekly podcast about the game.

“I think that it’s cool that Mr. Mitchell plays cards and it makes me think about how similar students and teachers really are,” said Anna Winslow, junior.

Mr. Mitchell encourages students to do something that they’re passionate about, like how he is with math.

“Mr. Mitchell is a great math teacher and he has helped push me out of my comfort zone when it came to solving equations,” said Sa’Nii Lockett, sophomore.