Ms. M Exit Interview
Nearly two decades after joining Alsion, on behalf of the Student Body, Witherly Heights would like to thank Ms. Michelle for her work as she approaches retirement. In an interview with Ms. Michelle, we discussed school, teaching, and advice for future students.
Q: How did you like school as a child?
“Hated it. I had a learning difference and that wasn’t recognized. So, I was ‘lazy and all the usual things that [they] label kids with that aren’t understood. . . It was a catholic girls school with the nuns and all and I tended to be their least favorite pupil. It was a perfect storm. . . of misery!”
-With that in mind, did you have anything you did like, such as a favorite subject?
“I always liked math, which will probably surprise a lot of people but from primary school up to grade six I was really good at math. . . I could do it all in my head- which upset a lot of teachers- because I really couldn’t write it down so well.
Q: How did your own school experience shape your decision to become a teacher?
“It was a hundred percent [shaped], my decision to become a teacher. I wanted to be the teacher that kids liked and to be as fair as I could to students who had a bit of a difference. . . But my mom tells me I was always going to be a teacher before I even went to school because I used to line up my teddies and, you know, teach them!”
Q: Now that you’re at the end of your career, how do you feel you’ve changed since you started teaching?
“Very much so, because when I first started teaching I was teaching kindergarten and first grade, but when I came to the US I wasn’t able to get a position because there are [already] a lot of Montessori teachers here unlike in Ireland. Middleschool was daunting to say the least. . . I was, at the beginning, very much the fish out of water for middle school. I like teenagers and I guess my own bad experience as a teenager at school must’ve paid off. I think now I’m a bit more relaxed and less of a stickler for detail.
“At the beginning I was very much just clinging on, only a few weeks ahead of the kids curriculum. It was all new to me, the American school system.
Q: How does it feel after so much to finally reach the end of your career?
“It’s a little scary, not knowing what I’ll do with my time. I think it’s been a successful career, and that most of the kids who have gone through my hands have been touched in some way. . . positive, hopefully. It’s certainly been fun. Most people will look back and have regrets but I don’t really regret anything I did.
Q: Do you have any favorite moments from all your years of teaching?
“Definitely when I was asked what the capital of BelARus was. . . I remember there was one essay about traveling across the Atlantic for the first time and how they could get stuck, how they could get scurvy because there was no electricity for the refrigerators. . . There was actually when [co’ 23] did Taming of the Shrew and acted it out on the lawn, that was fun.
Q: Have you had those “this was all worth it” moments with your students?
“I’ve had students go away, go to college and turn around back to college with a complete career change and put that down to me. I’ve actually had them message me and say ‘oh I did go to Law’ and it’s because of directly the day we did the mock trial! Also, it’s gratifying for me to have students who have gone into teaching because, where we live, it’s not well-paying and mostly done for the love of the practice.”
Q: What are you most looking forward to in retirement?
“I am looking forward to a different pace, definitely having some time to myself because I do a lot, and I grade a lot, and I prep a lot. When we went year round, we only had 4 weeks off so I’d take internship off after writing for the following year.
“Ireland right now has a lot of refugees and our school system is under pressure with all of these kids so I’m sure there’d be some volunteer opportunities there. Ireland is prepared to take in 200,000 refugees, and already they’re getting pressured with 60,000, so it’s definitely something I’m at the least qualified for.
Q: Do you have any parting words or advice for your students?
“I always say to take every moment and cherish it, to once a week at least just kind of step back and be in that moment because life is short and fleeting. Honestly my time has passed in a heartbeat since I joined, so commit that to your memory. Take it in and create memories.”
Thank you, Ms. Michelle, for 19 years of exceptional teaching at Alsion!