For my community connections interview assignment, I chose to interview my grade 7 and 8 teacher Mme. Jennifer Toor. She is a French immersion teacher at Maillard Middle school. 
She has inspired me to become a teacher even more then I had originally wanted. She prepared me well for high school and taught me new important life skills. I had so many fun experiences in her class.
I chose to interview my old teacher because I hope to one day become a teacher. Mme Toor made teaching seem very fun and interesting. She inspired me to help make the world better by teaching people about important aspects of life. I had a lot of fun in her classes and enjoyed the topics we learned about. She made the work challenging but also interesting. She encouraged creativity, organization and hard work. I want to become a teacher so that I can do the same and inspire the students of the future.
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The interview:
Here are the 6 questions that I have asked Mme Toor and the responses:
Can you explain your roles and responsibilities with your current position?
My main role as a teacher is to be an educator, a mentor and offer my support when it’s needed in a variety of ways. My responsibilities consist of, lesson planning, meetings with colleagues, marking, writing reports, planning and organizing events and activities, supervising students, replying to emails, contacting parents and continued professional development.
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What obstacles have you faced to get you where you are today?
Other than Covid, which has proven to be a big obstacle, some challenges have been being flexible when things change (ex. Curriculum), having to adapt and make lessons with very little resources, generating plans and activities the students will enjoy, keeping the students engaged, ensuring the well-being of my students – especially mental health, dealing with parents can sometimes be tough, as well as dealing with co-workers when you disagree on things. Middle school can be especially challenging in the sense that teachers have to teach every subject, so there’s more to plan for and you have to have a good grasp on all of the material.
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- What advice would you pass on to someone interested in what you are doing?
I would recommend having experience in elementary, middle and high school to get a sense of how the levels operate differently and to see which level suits you best. Consider which subject areas you are passionate about or what changes you’d like to see in the world and factor that in to the level you’d like to teach.
- Why are you passionate about teaching?
For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a teacher. I think what keeps me passionate about teaching though, is that I feel like I could be making a difference in some way. Nothing huge – but if I can teach things that matter, like equity, acceptance and kindness with subjects like Indigenous rights, Black Lives Matter, climate change etc, I could play a small role in shaping a better future with more open-minded, well-educated people. There is something really fulfilling about that. I also love to continue learning myself. This job allows me to do that.
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- If you could tell yourself something before you became a teacher, what would it be?
Hummmm…hard question. I would say focus on the positive, don’t complain unless you have a solution, and build relationships.
- What does a typical day look like for you?
I arrive at school by 8am. I use the morning to engage in meetings or prep for the day. During my teaching hours, I am giving lessons, facilitating activities and supporting students with questions. Once a week I meet with my team to plan activities and events. During my prep I create lessons, photocopy worksheets, look for resources, mark assignments etc. I am involved in creating the yearbook – some teachers opt to coach or organize other clubs. I spend a few hours a week on this. I am usually at the school until 4pm.
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During this interview, I have learned that becoming a teacher doesn’t just mean teaching, but also taking on other responsibilities. You must be organized and prepare for the day. You must think creatively and provide entertaining activities. You must care about the students’ safety, health, well-being and future. You also have to work hard on the road to becoming a teacher.
I am very grateful for all the wonderful teachers that I have had throughout my education. Thank you so much Mme Toor for helping me learn more about being a teacher and its roles and responsibilities. I appreciate the time you took to answer my interview questions. I learned a lot from this activity!