A Chat With Ms. Painter
Photo courtesy of Ms. Painter.
Have you ever wondered what your teachers do over the weekend, when they’re not at school teaching and are spending time at home with family and friends? I know most of us tend to hide behind the nearest shelf of tomato sauce cans (you know the ones I’m talking about) in grocery stores when we see our teachers out in public, acting like functioning members of society. Out of curiosity, I asked Ms. Painter, our AP Psychology, AP Government, and AP Economics teacher for a quick chat, with some more interesting, entertaining questions to give us a minuscule glimpse into her life outside of school. Without further ado, here’s what Ms. Painter (pictured below) had to say:
Q: Which of the subjects do you prefer teaching: economy, psychology or government? Which is the hardest to teach and why?
A: Economy, because it is logical and pragmatic. There is no emotion; it just works the way it does. Econ is also the hardest, because of the disappointment I see in my student’s faces when they understand how the economy works and how hard it is to change it to fit their worldview.
Q: What’s something you enjoy doing outside of school?
A: Reading Stephen King on the weekends, and sitting outside my house near the fire pit in the evenings and looking at the stars that you can’t see in town.
Q: What’s a fun story about your dog?
A: Coco got out of our yard and decided to explore. She is a dark chocolate poodle, so by the time it began to get dark, I had almost given up on finding her (I had been driving the area for over an hour), when I stopped at our mailbox and saw her way in the distance. Unfortunately, she heard the tone in my voice when I called her and ran in the opposite direction, so I had to pretend I was not angry. When she finally came to the truck, she figured out that I was still angry and would not get into the vehicle. It took me longer to get her in the vehicle and home than it did to look for her. I am sure it was amusing to watch me chasing her around my truck…and when we got home, she went upstairs and hid in my closet.
Q: Would you rather jump off a plane or go swimming with sharks?
A: As long as I have a parachute, jump off a plane. No sharks!
Q: What is one historical event that you have always wanted to experience?
A: I would like to go back to Times Square on VJ-day (Victory over Japan Day: August 15th, 1945). The joy would be overwhelming. This was one of the times in our history when we still believed in endless possibilities.
Q: You’ve told your classes before that you’ve met Michael Jordan: what was it like?
A: He was very cordial and a very imposing figure without the need to be the center of attention. He was friendly and I was surprised at how nice he was.
Q: What is the most interesting story you have to tell?
A: Probably when I went into Communist East Germany at seven months pregnant to see what the other side was like. Our tour guide carried a machine-gun and we were warned not to touch anything or talk to anyone. I was not supposed to go there since my husband was in the Army and I could have been taken hostage.
Thank you to Ms. Painter for taking the time to answer these questions and give us a little insight to your vibrant life! Knights, if you’re fortunate enough to receive Ms. Painter as a teacher in the near future, make sure to ask her about her thrilling stories; you just might be surprised!
