We interviewed Ms.Belly because we think that she is a really nice history teacher who cares for others and makes sure that everyone understands the topics. We wanted to find out a lot of new information about Ms.Belly to write an article about her!
Press: Do you have a family? If so, who is in it?
Ms. Belly: My immediate family is my wife Meaghan, me, Ameila, my daughter who is 4, and my son Alexander who is 2.
Press: What is your favorite part about being a teacher?
Ms.Belly: My favorite thing about teaching is being able to connect with the students and hopefully to bring history to a more fun perspective, not boring.
Press: Did anyone inspire you to be a teacher?
Ms.Belly: Yes, it was probably my US history teacher, my sophomore year in high school, Mr. Kean. He was the one who made class fun and would dress up as George Washington and that’s what inspired me to do that.
Press: What do you like to do in your free time?
Ms.Belly: When I have free time because it’s very busy with 2 young kids. I like to play golf, I like to go hiking, I like to play basketball and VERY rarely I play video games.
Press: Did you want to be a teacher when you were younger, or did you want to be something else?
Ms.Belly: I wanted to be something else. I wanted to be a computer animator, which is basically creating movies like Disney and Pixar, but I couldn’t draw. Then I wanted to do something with archaeology but you needed a chemistry background and I wasn’t good at chemistry.
Press: What is your favorite topic to teach in history?
Ms.Belly:My favorite topic is Salem Witch Trials, the American Revolution, the Organ Trials and the Civil War.
Press: Was there ever a class or student where you wanted to quit teaching?
Ms.Belly: I wouldn’t say that it made me want to quit teaching. It definitely made coming to work more difficult. It was a while ago like the last 5 years ago.
Press: Would you want to teach a different subject besides history?
Ms. Belly: I mean most of the things I’m into is around history, studying the lives of past people so probably not.
Press: Do you think you teach differently than other teachers? If so, how?
Ms.Belly: I think all teachers have a different way of doing things and I think that while others history teachers want to take notes I focus on understanding. I’d rather have you understand the topic than spending 25 minutes writing.
Press: Have you ever taught any other classes besides 6th?
Ms.Belly: Yes, I taught all grades like 6th grade American History, 7th grade Civics, 8th grade, and for about 9 years I taught all different subjects.
