an interview with mrs. wentworth.

 Heather and I(Annemarie) looooooooooooooove Mrs. Wentworth. We had her for English 112 and Heather also had her for English 111....she was the absolute best.  So, we decided to do a little teacher interview with her. Just listening to her was a blast!

What all do you do at John Tyler?

I teach English, humanities,  American literature,  freshman composition, survey of western culure, American culture since 1940, mythology, and Study Abroad humanities classes.  I also manage the international exchange for faculty in the VCCS.

Can you tell us more about the Study Abroad program?

Usually there are summer programs with two or three credit courses for a degree program. Students take at least one class for the credit, but they could be in up to three. Art, history,  literature,  theatre…classes like that. We have class meetings before we travel  to prepare students. Then there are two weeks of on site study as we travel.  Students study and do work as we travel mostly in the same place talking about the same things.Then we come back and do an exam weight project at the end. You learn automatically. It’s easy to grasp subjects this way.

What places have you gone to with students?

Greece, Vietnam, Italy.

What types of students go on these trips?  

Very diverse group. More than in a classroom. Tend to be students that have been to jtcc a year or so and are possibly about to graduate. A lot of times, we try to make it so middle and high school teachers can go… teachers that maybe  need recertification points for a college course. We get family members of students and faculty that just want to go. One of our most regular travelers is in his seventies and just happens to live near John Tyler. People really learn how to travel  on these trips. They learn how to conquer language barriers and eat the food. People learn the capability to travel on their own.

What’s your favorite part of these trips?

The meals. The wonderful meals with students when  they break out their normal dietary limits. The casual part where people talk. The relaxed time is always the best. Then things come up that students really want to know about.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I don’t know. Students. I really enjoy getting to know a new crop of students every year. Being able to help them build on the skills and talents that they have. It’s really great. That’s what I like.

Who are your favorite students? ; )

Hahah. Annemarie and Heather yayy! Of course!

Now for the fun stuff.

What do you when you’re not teaching?

Read. That’s really wonderful. I don’t really watch television at all. I don’t find that particularly a good way to spend my time. I do keep up with movies though. I like serious film. I don’t kinda just go to the movies. But I get suggestions from students of films I should see. The most recents were lion king( I had never seen it) and johnny depp in blow.

Of all the cities you’ve ever lived in which is your favorite?

Lived in? eh, richmond. Richmond’s great. Richmond has everything that a small town should have. Sports teams, great musems, etc. ..

What’s your favorite thing about Richmond?

Hmm. Ethnic restaurants.

What’s your favorite place in Richmond?

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Yeah. That’s my new favorite.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Hm. I think probably the craziest thing I’ve done was to dive off the third deck of a ferry boat into Halong bay.

Here she is folks! The awesome Mrs. Wentworth! : )

We'll catch ya later, skaters. Maybe this weekend?