Teachers are an integral part of student life. Beyond giving out test and grades, they are the people that we see everyday, whether in the halls or the classroom. They are the people that inspire us to do and be better, and who teach us things that may well be our passions for the rest of our lives. However, with the business of IB and high school in general, it is not often that we get to know them beyond the classroom. To take a deeper look at who our teachers really are, we decided to sit down with Ms. Voigt, a TOK, world studies, and psychology teacher here at ISB.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love reading or listening to audiobooks while walking through different Sois in Bangkok. I also love adventuring to new places and like to do this as locals do. I actually love public transport especially local means of getting around — ‘jeepneys’ in Manila,  ‘becaks’ in Indonesia, ‘songthaews’ in Thailand, public buses in Beijing. I have met the most fascinating people this way — both other travellers and local folk. My best is to do this with one of my own children who share my sense of adventure local style.

What is a skill you wish you had?

I wish I could speak more languages. I regret not having put more effort into this when living in different countries. I also wish I could draw!

Why did you choose to become a teacher?

I was initially trained as a social worker. I majored in Psychology. At some point I worked in communities in the Eastern Cape in South Africa training people to run their own community projects. I then worked with final year social work students at a university in South Africa managing their field practice. I guess this was how I knew I enjoyed sharing knowledge. I got into school teaching in some ways by default. I was a trailing spouse in Indonesia and JIS suddenly needed someone who knew Psychology to sub for a while. I did this, loved it, subbed for another couple of years and then decided to do a teaching degree. I still love it!

If you could teach another subject what subject would you teach?

I would teach English Literature.

Thank you to Ms. Voigt for the long talk. We hope that you have been able to gain an insight as to what she is like, not only as a teacher, but as a person. Stay tuned for more long talks in the future!