Q:“What is your name and how do you spell it?”

A: “Sarah Collins”

Q:“What classes do you teach?”

A: “English 1”

Q:“Is this your first year teaching?”

A: “It is, yes, officially in public school. I have done some substituting and teaching in private schools, but this is my first time in a public school classroom.

Q: How was your first day?”

A: “Interesting. It was a little awkward because of the shortened periods and so not knowing how much time I was going to have, I had to improvise what we were going to do that first day. I teach freshmen so, on the first day, they were kind of not sure what was going on and not as talkative. The difference between Monday and today is huge. They were so much more talkative today. That first day was a lot of me talking at them and hoping that they would say something.”

Q: “Did you always know that you were going to be a teacher?”

A: “I did not know. I actually had a whole other career before I became a teacher.  I studied art in college and ended up working in museums for about 10 years. Originally, I installed exhibits and was a curator at a little museum in my hometown in Lubbock, and then I moved into doing education in museums which was super fun, and I got to work with kids on field trips and plan classes and things, and I realized that when I got to teach, that was my favorite part of the job, and eventually I got tired of that line of work and wanted something new, and that is how I ended up here teaching.”

Q: “Did you chose to major in English?”

A: “Nope, I did not, but I love English. I read constantly. I write a lot. I was always good at English. I had to write a lot in my previous line of work too, so I’ve gotten pretty good at it. I am really good at editing for grammar and I am a big nerd that loves to talk about books. And so, wanting a change out of art and museums, I decided that English made sense for me.”

Q: “I can see that your room is very cute, is there a reason you decorated it the way you have?”

A: “Thank you, yes, I love bright color and when I came into this room, the back wall was actually a dark gray like you can still see at the top, and I decided that if I was going to be in a classroom with no windows for a school year, then I was going to make it as bright and cheerful as I possibly could. And turquoise is my favorite color. If it were up to me, it would look like an 8 year old girl lived in here. There would be unicorns and rainbows all over the place, instead I just kept it to that one bulletin board.”

Q: “What are your expectations for the future?”

A: “Oh good question, I am not sure. I hope that I am going find my footing as a teacher.  I am still figuring out what works what does not, where do I need to be more organized, when I am explaining lessons or assignments, am I doing it well enough, so I think mostly I just hope to become more comfortable in my role as a teacher at some point. It might be a while. I am not sure. I hear it takes a couple of years before you really feel like you know what you are doing, and so that is kind of my expectation for myself.”

Q: “Why did you decide to come to Bellaire?”

A: “I really liked the vibe I got from the interview I had. I liked Mr. McDonough. He is super supportive and everything I have heard about incredibly positive things about him, and it was the only job interview I had where I actually met other teachers in the department I would be working in. I liked what I heard from them. They all seemed really excited to be here. They love their students and I got the impression that I would fit in really well with them. The biggest part of my decision was the people here, and everything I heard about the students sounded amazing.”

Q: “Is there anything else you would like to add?”

A: “Just that I am super excited to be here. And I hope that comes across. I hope that my students realize that I am really excited to be teaching them and that all of the things I say to them are meant with sincerity. I am really good at being a cheerleader for other people and so I am really good at being encouraging and telling people “you can do it” and “I believe in you” and it sounds corny, but I genuinely mean it when I say those things.”

Q: “How would you describe your style of teaching?”

A: “I am still figuring it out I think. I do try to loosen up a little bit. I do not want them to feel like I am just lecturing at any point. I want the students to feel like it is an interaction and that when I am teaching, I want them to be raising their hands and commenting and asking questions. I do not want them to be just passively sitting there listening. I do move around a lot, but that is more for my benefit because I kind of have trouble standing still for too long. And I can be really silly, and I will do silly voices or fake accents or something, and I am always really cheerful and enthusiastic. I always tell them “have a beautiful day” when they leave the room. It might be a little too much, so I am trying to figure out if should I dial it back and calm down a little. Maybe I am too excited, but I am firm when I have to be, so I like be silly and goof off, but I am not here to play. I am here to be a teacher.  When I have to be firm, my teacher voice comes out. It is a balance.”