My friend Martina Dimech and I, decided to interview Ms. Rakele, a Biology teacher in our school. Hope you enjoy reading the interview while learning a new fact or two about Ms. Rakele.

  1. How long have you been teaching?

I have taught for the last 4 to 5 years.

  • What inspired you to become a Biology teacher, but not a Chemistry or Physics teacher?

I prefer Biology to the other subjects. I don’t mind Chemistry, but I don’t really like Physics. Biology is more relatable to me, and I used to prefer studying it.

  • Were you sure that you wanted to become a teacher when you were young?

No, by time. Things and ideas change. I had a lot of ideas of what I wanted to become, like a hairdresser, a nutritionist, a teacher, etc. There were a lot of jobs I wanted to become. I still like them, but I chose teaching.

  • Do you prefer English or Maltese for speaking?

I prefer Maltese, but I mostly speak in English. You can see for yourself that during my lessons I never speak 100% Maltese or English. I switch from one language to the other.

  • What do you do in your free time?

In my free time, I like relaxing while watching an episode on Netflix. I also like making puzzles, the big ones. I like going out, going for walks and dancing.

  • How do you prefer studying?

I study by talking a lot. There were a lot of times when I had to study for the O-Levels, A-Levels, University, etc. I used to close my room and speak out loud. I also used to write on a whiteboard while studying.

  • Why did you pick this school out of all schools?

In my 3rd year of University, I had teaching practice here. I already knew some teachers and students. The fact that I knew the school atmosphere and I already had an idea of the school helped a lot. And I liked the job post offered here because it was related to science. Also, I didn’t really want to go to teach in a government school, and this was a church school.

  • What is your favourite memory in this school?

My favourite memory was when we had the Chemistry activity day with Forensic Science, and we named it ‘’Who done it?’’. That was a really nice experience, and I loved interacting with other teachers.

  • What was your best experience throughout your teaching years so far?

My best experiences were when we used to have school activities. One day we went to a concert and went on stage and started singing. It was a Christmas concert and it was very funny.

10. What is the hardest thing that you find in teaching?

Correcting and you’re just never done. In your mind there’s always something that you must do.

11. Do you read books? If so, which books and why?

Not that much. Sorry, I know I’m not meant to say this, but I don’t read books as much.

12. What’s your favourite movie or series?

I mostly watch series. I don’t really like movies. My favourite series would have to be ‘Devious Maids’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’.

13. What’s your favourite colour?

Turquoise is my favourite colour.

14. What’s your favourite song and song artist?

There are a lot of songs to choose from, hold on a second……. let me check my Spotify. It depends on the beat, sometimes I feel like shouting and sometimes I feel like listening to down beat tunes. My favourite song is probably ‘Uptown Girl’ by ‘Westlife’. My favourite artist is ‘Ariana Grande’, she has a nice voice, and she’s a very good singer.

  • Interview made by Martina Dimech and Francesca Fenech