I recently sat down with my Language Arts teacher to find out more about what it's like to be a teacher. She told me some interesting things and even taught me a little bit about teaching in the United States. I started out by asking her what it is that she likes about being a teacher.

Mrs. Gorham: It can be a lot of fun. I like to put together interesting units and lessons for the students.

Christalee: What is your favourite thing about teacher?

Mrs. Gorham: The best part about being a teacher is when the students get really excited about the lesson and you can tell that they are having fun.

Christalee: If you weren't a teacher, what kind of work would you like to do?

Mrs. Gorham: I do have a Master's Degree in counselling that I would like to use.

Christalee: How is that?

Mrs. Gorham: A lot of times, when people are having emotional and social problems, all they really need is someone to teach them new ways to deal with their stress.

Christalee: So, who inspired you to be a teacher?

Mrs. Gorham: A lot of teachers, really, but the one I think about most whenever someone asks me that is Mrs. Bratcher, my 10th and 12th grade Language Arts teacher in high school. She really brought the literature to life and made learning fun for everyone. She was also a very loving teacher and was always available when you needed someone to talk to.

Christalee: What were the names of your middle and high schools?

Mrs. Gorham: They were right beside each other. The middle school was called Northeast Guilford Middle and the high school was Northeast Guilford High School.

Christalee: How long have you been a teacher?

Mrs. Gorham: If you count everything I've done, I've been in education in one capacity or another for 11 years.

Christalee: And how long have you been teaching at T. N. Tatem Middle School?

Mrs. Gorham: This is my second year.

Christalee: Do you find that teaching in Bermuda is very different from teaching in the US?

Mrs. Gorham: At first, I struggled to remember to enforce rules that we didn't have where I grew up and taught in the States, rules like wearing uniforms properly and standing to say "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon" when an adult enters the room. Overall, though, children are the same everywhere and teaching isn't all that different.

As you can see, Mrs. Gorham taught me a lot about what makes a teacher tick. I also enjoyed our conversation about teaching and living in the United States. I think it's interesting that she says that children are pretty much the same everywhere. It makes me realise that despite all of our differences, the world's people have a lot in common.