All middle school teachers are very different. They might be strict, nice, intelligent, funny, crazy… but all of them have one thing in common: their passion for children. You might have your favorites, but all teachers, no matter what they teach, are equally incredible. Have you ever wondered about whether your teachers live in school? Have you ever wondered about your teachers’ lives outside of classrooms? Have you ever wondered about the reason they became teachers? Have you ever wondered about their middle school? Here are the answers to all your wonders about teachers!

Q1: How was your middle school experience?

Mrs. Haemmerle: No technology. She didn’t have as many electives and opportunities as us students now, but she did everything related to music – marching band, jazz band, pop band, etc. Her middle school teachers also give less homework.

Mr. Thompson: Less whining. Teachers were much more strict at the time.

Mrs. Liu: She didn’t have flex and study hall because she didn’t even remember doing homework in middle school.

Mrs. Cohen: Back then, her middle school was called “junior high.” It was a lot of fun but a lot more strict.

Mrs. Menna: It was a lot more strict and a lot of drama, but her teachers were all very good.

Mr. Gold: All he remembered is going out and play after school every day and socializing with his friends…

Madame/Mrs. Compoli: It was very awkward being the new kid at school, but she made friends later on.

Q2: Do they have any career before being a teacher?

Mrs. Haemmerle: Always a hyper choir teacher

Mr. Thompson: A worker at his dad’s dry-cleaning store for a while before being a teacher.

Mrs. Liu: Always a nice science teacher.

Mrs. Cohen: She was in marketing and advertising before being a teacher.

Mrs. Menna: Her dad’s dental assistant before being a teacher.

Mr. Gold: Always a crazy math teacher.

Mrs. Compoli: Always a nice french teacher.

Q3: Who inspired you to be a teacher?

Mrs. Haemmerle: Education is the best way for her to combine both her love for music and children. The first-grade kids she taught in her sophomore year in college made her passionate about teaching.

Mr. Thompson: His Woodwork teacher, Mr, Welch, sparked him with the thought of being a teacher.

Mrs. Liu: She found that it is a lot of fun working with kids.

Mrs. Cohen: Several former teachers; their passion for children never changed.

Mrs. Menna: Her 10th Grade IRLA teacher, Mrs. Lera, made her determined to be a teacher

Mr. Gold: His mother taught for 30 years, and she always told him, “You would make a good teacher, Steve” – and he really is.

Mrs. Compoli: Her German teacher in high school was crazy and passionate about teaching kids, and she wanted to be a good teacher like him.

Q4: What is your favorite part of teaching?

Mrs. Haemmerle: Her favorite part about teaching middle school kids is to watch them grow, especially as musicians.

Mr. Thompson: He enjoys the goofiness of kids the most, and it’s also pleasant for him to work with different kinds of goofiness.

Mrs. Liu: She is always surprised about how much a student can progress in a year – a kid who had troubles in science at the beginning of the year could become an expert at the end!

Mrs. Cohen: Children are the reasons she became a teacher, and especially middle school kids – “The middle school age group is really fun.”

Mrs. Menna: She always watches her students grow as writers with pleasure.

Mr. Gold: He loves to work with students and make every day, every math class fun and different.

Mrs. Compoli: She would be ecstatic if her students making jokes or at least understand jokes in French because that means their French level is high enough to do so.

Q5: What is your least favorite part of teaching?

Mrs. Haemmerle, Mr. Thompson, Mrs. Liu: Their least favorite part about teaching is all the boring behind-the-scenes paperwork that is not related to their lessons at all.

Mrs. Menna: Of all things she loves about teaching, grading is not one of them.

Mrs. Cohen: She would love to have more time to teach more students more things in PRISM.

Mr. Gold, Madame Compoli: They’re sad when kids are not working up to their potential, either not trying to solve math problems or not speaking French in class.

Q6: What do you do on weekends?

Mrs. Haemmerle: Cheering on her kids at soccer games and hosting get-together dinners on weekends for socializing.

Mr. Thompson: Trying to drive his kids to six different sports is crazy for him already, but coaching a soccer team just makes his schedule even more cramped!

Mrs. Liu: Camping, hiking, and rock climbing with her sister, or going to New York for a visit to her sister.

Mrs. Menna: She loves to visit museums and/or her friends with her husband, sometimes they go to the movies or see a show.

Mr. Gold: He is the coach of a soccer team and a basketball team.

Mrs. Compoli: She loves to spend time with her family – they swim together in summer.

If you would like to be a teacher, you have to bear all the things you don’t like in order to enjoy yourself, just like doing anything. If you’re not sure whether to be a teacher or not, just think about finding another career before committing to become a teacher. Teachers don’t live in school (even though sometimes they think they do) — they have their lives outside of classroom. The next time you are wondering why teachers grade papers so slowly, consider their lives outside of the classroom. Teachers don’t have superpowers, but they’re the true heros saving the world and making the world a better place.