Margaret Horsley

CNS 120

2/12/17

Informational Interview Assignment #1

For my first informational interview assignment, I chose to interview my first

grade teacher, Mrs. Thornhill. Mrs. Thornhill has worked at St. Catherines School, an

all-girls school, for twenty-three years non-consecutively. She majored in Education at

Elon University and after graduation she taught all boys in pre-first at The Boys Latin

School of Maryland. She took time off from teaching when raising her kids and stayed

home as a tutor for students with disabilities. While at home, she also trained to become

proficient in teaching kids how to read. Mrs. Thornhill described her style of learning to

me as continuing education, because in order to fully engage in the modern world of

education, teachers must attend conferences, classes, and training sessions, and become

involved in national organizations.

Presently, Mrs. Thornhill is a kindergarten teacher. She told me that in order to be

a teacher, an Education major and student teaching career are necessary. As an

undergraduate at Elon, Mrs. Thornhill valued her student teaching experiences, although

they were sometimes difficult and frustrating. She recalled one school in which the

teachers would yell at the children, and the kids were indifferent to their education.

However, directly after college Mrs. Thornhill became a teacher in a private school and

loved her teaching career. The piece of advice most valuable for me that I received from

Mrs. Thornhill was that the work environment is most crucial to enjoying your job. Mrs.

Thornhill loves St. Catherines because the parents are invested in their kids futures and
the students are motivated to succeed. Her colleagues are engaged in the classroom and

supportive of their fellow teachers. She told me that she never gets bored because they

are constantly moving, and that the school year flies by. At first I was a little hesitant

about following a career path in education, because I was afraid about becoming bored.

However, Mrs. Thornhill quickly eased my doubts. The interview did not surprise me but

instead left me more interested in pursuing a teaching career. Becoming a teacher is

definitely an area of interest for me, because I love working with kids.

I think that a teaching career aligns with my personal values and beliefs. Mrs.

Thornhill was a solid source of information for me and during the interview she reflected

on the importance of flexibility, positivity, and enthusiasm in the classroom. I try to

embody these principles on a day-to-day basis and I value them in my life as well. Mrs.

Thornhill and I both share a love for learning new things and developing personal skills.

As a teacher, the most rewarding things for Mrs. Thornhill are helping parents be better

parents and helping children in their moral and personal development of values. I

want to find a career that positively impacts the lives of others, and I think that a teaching

career encompasses my values and morals perfectly.

After interviewing Mrs. Thornhill, I am excited to find out more information

about the education department at Wake Forest. I am also anxiously awaiting my job as a

camp counselor this summer for my second year at Camp Merrie-Woode. On campus, I

want to become more involved in clubs focused on kids. I think that Best Buddies, a club

that pairs undergraduates with children living with disabilities, is a significant and

valuable group on campus. As I progress as an undergraduate at Wake, I think that

spending as much time as possible with children both in and outside of the classroom will
help me develop skills that will prove beneficial in the future. After this summer as a

camp counselor, I also hope to find internships that incorporate my love of children.