What is your name? Where do you teach? Sherie Malta, Cedarwood School.

What subject(s) do you teach? Third-grade.

What is your favorite thing about the subject(s) you teach? Kids in third grade are so eager to learn. I love inspiring them to have a love of reading. How long have you been a teacher? Thirteen years.

How has the profession of teaching changed since you started? Teaching has changed a lot, especially in the area of technology. When I first started teaching, we had a class set of encyclopedias. Now, students research online and use computers for everything.

Why did you become a teacher? I have always loved school. I was inspired by my first grade teacher. She used to let me point at vocabulary words on the overhead projector and lead the class in reciting them. I loved that. Later I realized that as a teacher I would be able to make a difference in children’s lives.

What is your favorite thing about teaching? My favorite thing about teaching is when kids really “get it.” The pride in their eyes makes it all worthwhile.

Do you do anything special in the classroom to get through to your students? I try to connect everything I teach to the real world. If students understand why they are learning something and know that they will really need the information in the future, they are more motivated to learn. Also, I try to make lessons hands-on in some way. If kids can see and experience things, it’s easier for them to understand.

What is the hardest part of your job? To me, the hardest part of teaching is not having enough time to do everything that needs to be done!

Are you involved in any extra curricular activities at the school? I am the yearbook editor/adviser at school. I also serve on our school’s ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) board.

Do you utilize any special technology in the classroom? We have a Promethean Board in our classroom and I use it everyday. It is wonderful to be able to share great internet resources with the entire class at once and have the kids really get involved in the lesson.

Have you received any grants to aid you in the classroom? I recently wrote a grant (with the help from our middle school science teacher) to start a school garden. Hopefully, we’ll get it.

What do you do during your summer vacations? During summer vacation, I work a few sessions at Cedarwood’s Summer Camp. It is fun to be able to have fun and play with kids in a less structured setting than school.

Do you aspire to become a principal one day? No, I do not aspire to become a principal. I would miss the day-to-day interaction with the kids too much.

What’s the craziest thing that has ever happened while you were teaching? The craziest thing would probably be dealing with bad weather and having to stop teaching to take shelter. When the power goes out it’s even crazier.