Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Clinton

I decided to take the opportunity to spotlight Mrs. Clinton, my favorite teacher, who had a big impact on me during my eighth-grade year. Not only did she help me improve in English, but she also helped me grow as a person. She was always someone I could look up to, and I appreciate the time and effort she put into helping me. Her kindness, patience and support made her classroom a place where I felt comfortable learning and being myself.

I wanted to learn more about her as a teacher and as a person, so I asked her a few questions about her life and experiences. Mrs. Clinton became inspired to teach after traveling through Spain and meeting someone whose father was a French teacher in America. This inspired her to want to teach a different language in a different country. After returning to the United States and finishing school, she became interested in teaching and eventually fell in love with it. One of her favorite parts about teaching is seeing students understand a concept, become inspired, and start asking questions beyond what they are learning. Her advice to students is to have grit, to keep pushing through difficult moments and to ask for help when they need it. She believes that students are much tougher than they think and that perseverance is an important life goal. 

Something Mrs. Clinton is proud of accomplishing as a teacher is building a strong community with her fellow teachers. She explained that the teachers in the middle school have a strong team where they support and care for one another. She hopes that her students can see that same sense of support and community in their teachers. This shows that Mrs. Clinton cares not only about teaching her students, but also about creating a positive environment for everyone around her. This school year, her goal is to add new novels and keep things fresh for her students. Something that might surprise students is that she is actually an introvert and very shy. She explained that presenting in front of people used to be a struggle for her, but with practice, she learned how to become more comfortable with it. She describes herself as kind, caring, and accountable, which are qualities that I think really show through in the way she teaches.

  If Mrs. Clinton could relive one moment in her life, she would choose her time studying abroad in Italy because she loved experiencing a different culture and, of course, eating all the pasta. Overall, interviewing Mrs. Clinton allowed me to learn more about someone who has had a meaningful impact on many other students and me. 

Image Courtesy of Anne-Marie Routt.