Teacher Interview Transcript

Aiden:
    The purpose of this interview is to interview an influential teacher that has positively affected me on my education journey. And Before we get into the interview I’m just wondering If I’m allowed to record it?

Beth:
    Yep!

Aiden:
    And can I post a transcript online on my personal education blog?

Beth:
    Yes.

Aiden:
    Okay so, the first question is what lead you to become a teacher?

Beth:
    Well, I became a teacher because it seemed like it was the best opportunity for a job that was both professional and compatible with my family life. That’s not to say that I hadn’t always been teaching, but it wasn’t something that I saw myself doing.. until I actually was doing it.

Aiden:
    Fair enough. So, who was your favourite teacher while you were a student.

Beth:
    Maybe Paul Laux, maybe Linda Maskell, yeah. I didn’t love my teachers.

Aiden:
    Well, do you have any distinct memories of those two teachers you mentioned?

Beth:
    No. More larger impressions of how they treated children.

Aiden:
    Alright, that makes a lot of sense. In your career, what has frustrated you?

Beth:
    Being surrounded by people who don’t work as hard as I do. 

Aiden:
    And why does that frustrate you?

Beth:
    Because even though I didn’t go into teaching with the idea that I was fulfilling some sort of life long dream, I work really hard at teaching. At improving my practice, at staying abreast of current research, of trying to incorporate new ideas. And because I’m in the middle of education I’m not at the beginning or the end, I have to deal with where my kids have come from and where they’re going. And when you see teachers who are not working very hard, and you get the result of that, it’s very frustrating.

Aiden:
    I could imagine. Do you remember any distinct obstacles you overcame at any point in your career or education path to your career?

Beth:
    No, it’s been really straight forward, but I’ve been very lucky.

Aiden:
    Well, that’s good then! I noticed —as your child— that you generally use alternative teaching methods such as games, puzzles and art work to give students more information about a subject. How do you think this benefits your students?

Beth:
    The idea that students all learn in one way is ridiculous. We don’t all learn in the same way and so we have to think of all of the different styles of how kids might learn something and try to incorporate them all. So, if you’re doing multiplication facts you do them through games, through songs, through acting them out, through kinaesthetic learning. Even buskarizing making it really large, or making it really small. Doing it in art so that they can see how it effects so many things in their lives and then recognize it in other places. So that it doesn’t just become about a silo of math, and a silo of english and a silo of social studies. They have to see that there’s a value to it and that there’s a reason. They have to be able to associate it with their whole lives not just what we do at school.

Aiden:
    And have you noticed a change in focus or engagement since you began using these methods?

Beth:
    Well, I’m engaged more so they’re engaged more. 

Aiden:
    Okay, that makes sense.

Beth:
    There’s a direct correlation between how interested and engaged the teacher is and how interested and engaged the students are. And when I’m interested and engaged, they’re interested and engaged. So, if I am enjoying what I’m teaching, they’re enjoying what they’re learning. And the converse of that is true.

Aiden:
    Do you notice a difference between your class’ focus and engagement compared to another class at you school?

Beth:
    Absolutely. I see it all the time. And I hear about it from parents.

Aiden:
    Do you have a memorable lesson from people that you teach or your colleagues?

Beh:
    That I produced?

Aiden:
    Sure.

Beth:
    …

Aiden:
    Or something they taught you, one or the other, whichever you find easiest.

Beth:
    Generally I remember most what failed. So, a lot of the networking that we do often when people from the board office parachute in, and they try to encourage certain styles of teaching often the lessons that they want to reach for are well beyond what the children are capable of doing. And often teachers try to make their children look better by suggesting that they can do more than they can. So, in networking especially, when you go to other schools and meet other professionals and then math coaches and math coordinators or — math is a big focus right now at Thames Valley— and then they jump in and try to make a lesson and then teach it to the class.. they come to find that they have no idea and aren’t anywhere near the spot that the teacher said they were, these things are memorable.

Aiden:
    Fair enough. Well, that’s all the questions I had for you, I really appreciate your time.

Beth:
    Hey no problem!