My name is Valerie Hodges, and I’m a student at Northwest High.

On November 11, my Photojournalism teacher Mr. Hallaert assigned me and my peers to interview a teacher or staff member of our choice. I selected Mrs. Litchy, a previous teacher of mine who teaches Child Development in room 241. I chose her because she taught me a lot about kids, and I hope it can be useful for me in the future as a parent.

In class, I quickly wrote down six serious and fun questions to ask her. I left photojournalism with Tandrea Hill and knocked on Mrs. Litchy’s door, I asked permission if I could interview her for the Northwest newspaper and to record her responses. She happily told me I could and lead me to the back of her room near the kitchen table. I then had Tandrea hit record on my phone and began asking her my question.

My first question was how long she has been at Northwest and how long has she been a teacher. She said that it’s her third year, and that she’s been a teacher for three years.

My second question was about why she became a child development teacher. She said she loves kids and that she likes teaching her students how to be better caregivers for them. I then brought up the fact that she taught me not to place objects like toys or pillows in a crib because it could potentially harm a baby in his/her sleep. I never knew that until I took her class, so I’m thankful for that.

My third question was a fun one. I asked her what animal she would be based on her personality, and why? Mrs. Litchy laughed at that one, and it took her some time to think about it. She said bobcat at first, but couldn’t find a reason on why, so she Tandrea why she’d be a bobcat, but Tandrea laughed and was out of words. She then asked us both what’s an animal that’s “lovey.” I then replied with bunny, and I told her because she’s sweet, kind, and supportive. She agreed with it and seemed thrilled by my response.

For my next question, I wanted her to tell me about her family because Mrs. Litchy loves talking about them all the time. Litchy said she has a sixteen-year-old daughter named McKenna and a fourteen-year-old son named Brody. McKenna loves to dance while Brody loves to play basketball, baseball, and football. Then, she mentioned her husband Mr. Litchy who works at Immanuel hospital and is the director of noninvasive healthcare.

My second fun question was about who her favorite cartoon character was as a kid, and why. Ms. Litchy already had an answer, and she said She-Ra, a blond-haired princess in a red cape. She wears a white dress with a blue pearl in the middle of her chest surrounded by metal patterns. She also wears gold boots, long golden bracers that extend to elbow to her wrist, and a golden crown with red pearl inserted in the middle of it. She has blue eyes, red lips and carries a silver sword with a blue crystal on it. Ms. Lichty explained that she admired her because she was super powerful, and she was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and did whatever she needed to get it done. I told her I loved her answer.

Finally, I asked her my very final question. “What qualities are important to become a teacher?” She asked Tandrea and I what the “r” word was in her class and Tandrea yelled out “Respect!” Mrs. Litchy nodded her head and said that she has to give her students respect in order to earn respect back. I agreed with her response, and I thanked her for taking time out of her day to do an interview with me.

She’s a wonderful teacher and just full of joy, I hope her child development classes stay active because they are useful, and it helps kids like me be prepared to be a better caregiver in the future. I want to thank her for teaching me and thank her for letting me interview her! I learned so much from her.