Teacher Interview: Ms. Berg

BY ISABELLA HILL '25 & SHREE JAYAKRISHNA

Q: Why did you decide to become a teacher?
A: As a college student, I majored in psychology because I was very interested in the way humans interact in terms of relationships and overall behavior. However, my psychology-oriented path was not completely what I expected, so I started to think about other possibilities. When looking at what I did in my free time, I had always volunteered and worked with students in a variety of settings. Those activities always brought me so much joy, and they still bring me joy by creating hope for the future and cementing the belief that things can always get better. When I was trying to figure out my career path, I emailed one of my favorite teachers from high school to explore career options and receive advice. He explained that teaching is the only profession in which you're guaranteed to laugh every single day, and I thought, “Wow, this is so great.” I had always loved books, so that, combined with the other appealing aspects of teaching, led me to choose the profession.

Q: What is your greatest memory of teaching at AB?
A: Singing valentines are fresh in my mind as a great memory; they just bring happiness everywhere they go. Aside from that, I think during COVID, it was just such a hard time, and the way that the community came together to support people in and out of school was such a testament to our values in the district. This is more than a great memory; it’s something that inspires me to continue to be a part of this community. 

Q: Why did you decide to teach at AB specifically?
A: I started my career working on the South Shore in Scituate, which is a really small, little seaside community, and I loved it there. I taught there for several years and then my family relocated to the MetroWest area. I originally thought I would drive down to the South Shore, but it was too far to commute, so I looked at the general area near me and the different schools. AB has always had a reputation for being a really great community that values education and cares about its schools, so I applied and have been here ever since.

Q: Thoughts on the college application process and how it impacts students? 
I think the process is so exciting. When graduating high school, the whole world is in front of you, and you have so many opportunities and options to pursue and explore. However, I think that this process is incredibly overwhelming because it is so open. It can be stressful and competitive when trying to figure out where you want to spend the next stretch of your life and how to put yourself in a position to get there. I love the possibilities that the college application process offers, but I think it's also good to remember that wherever you end up, everything is going to be great as long as you try to work at it.

Q: How would you describe your teaching style? 
I think that I always put students first as people, viewing them as individuals who come in with different experiences and perspectives. In my teaching, I try to have an agenda of what I want to accomplish in terms of the skills that we're working on for the curriculum, but I also understand that students learn differently, and I try to create an encouraging space and community where everyone can learn and feel valued. I really try to focus on growth, and I think one of the best things about teaching is seeing where people are coming from and where they take their skills over the course of the year. 

Q: What advice would you give students, especially in terms of dealing with stress? 
I think it’s all about finding balance and being able to understand that I'm going to work on [a certain task] for [a certain] amount of time, and then take a break to balance stress. It’s important to put everything in perspective and recognize that the things that are stressing you out are just pieces of your life, not the whole story. The more that you can acknowledge where you are and have the determination and hope that you will get through it, the easier it will be to see the positives. In my class, every Friday, we share one good thing from the week or something that brought us joy. I like to think this activity helps everyone focus on the bright spots. The more you can focus on those little moments of joy, the easier it will be to calm yourself. Taking breaks, finding balance, and having a really good support system are great ways to manage persistent stress. 

Q: How do you balance your personal and work life? 
I think that even as an adult, I'm still working on that idea of balance. Sometimes it can be hard to find that balance because I have so many things I am passionate about. I will say I've worked really hard at being fully present, trying to enjoy each moment to its fullest while not worrying about the past or distant future. I try to put myself in that space where I can enjoy what's happening in the current time, whether that's with my kids or in other aspects of life.

Q: How do you choose specific books and hold discussions in your class? 
We choose books as an English department, and we look at the books that we're teaching and think about why we're teaching them. We ask ourselves if they represent the students we have in front of us and if they offer perspectives we are less familiar with. We read a bunch of works and then choose what books we’ll work with. I personally try to choose both classic and contemporary books. I also pull in resources from different disciplines that may be connected to them just so students can get a broad look at some of these more specific topics. The best books are the ones that we see our own experiences reflected in but also start to understand experiences that are very different from ours. 

Q: The English curriculum has changed a lot in the last couple of years. How do you think that's impacted kids in terms of their perspective? 
Students and people are changing with society. I think that reading is something people don't necessarily do as much when they get older, and with all sorts of exciting advances in technology and other things that we can spend our time doing, I think we adapt the curriculum and try to find books that are captivating and readable. This may mean we spend less time on some of the books that don't speak to our own experiences as much. I always find the novels in our curriculum that students tend to like the best tend to be the more contemporary ones grounded in more modern ideas. 


Q: What's your thought process in making assignments for students? 
A: I try to provide as much choice as I can. Whether it's the topic that students are writing about or the type of assignment, I try to offer different avenues of thought. With all of our assessments, I think about the skills that I want students to demonstrate and if they can achieve the set goals in a way that gives them ownership. Assignments that are engaging, provide choice, and create some sort of larger takeaway are great. Tasks like that have an impression that will stick with you. If kids have ownership of what they are doing and understand the purpose behind it, the impact is so much more valuable than just completing an assignment for the sake of it. 

Q: Favorite food? 
My absolute favorite food is my mother's spaghetti sauce, which is passed down from my grandmother. I could eat that every day, especially since I have a limitless love of pasta. When it comes to sweeter foods, which are a category in and of themselves, I love the baklava ice cream from New City Microcreamery.

Q: Favorite Book?
A: As an English teacher, this is like choosing a favorite child to me, but I can probably narrow it down to my top three. Everything is Illuminated by Johnathan Safron Foer is just amazing; I love the way he plays with structure and style. I also really love Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. The novel is so meaningful to me because I’ve read it at different points in my life and taken away something meaningful each time. My last favorite is a children's book: Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers. From my perspective, this storybook helps people understand their place in the world, and the beautiful art that accompanies it only adds to the already wonderful work. 

Q: Hobbies?

A: I love to run and do yoga. I also grew up playing the piano, and although I haven’t played in a while, I just happened to acquire one recently. Getting back into playing after all this time will be both fun and humbling.

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