Interviewing Ms. Gray

Interviewer: Scarlet Claasens

Scarlet: Hello, how are you?

Ms. Gray: I'm good, thanks, you?

Scarlet: Pretty good, ok ready to get started?

Ms. Gray: Yep!

Scarlet: What's your favourite book? Oh. I know it's really tricky.

Ms. Gray: No hesitation I mean, of course, the Bible is the most important.

Scarlet: I knew you were gonna say that, sorry, let me rephrase, a fictional book.

Ms. Gray: I think it's hard to say a favorite, but one book that really explains me and was very helpful and even life-changing to read was The Search for Significance by Robert McGee. I was like, wow, this book explains me and how I've been. That influenced even my master's thesis and influenced the film process and everything. I just love when you read books and you feel understood.

Scarlet: That makes sense. What type of teacher do you want to be? Slash, like, what are you hoping to accomplish as an English teacher?

Ms. Gray: I think that I want my class to be challenging, but also I want the goals to be attainable, or I want them to be reachable. I love getting to know my students, and I think that having a good relationship and open communication is important. But really, I want to get to know what the student can do, and I want to see their work, different examples of their work throughout the year, and see how they're improving. I really enjoy teaching English because I love stories, I love writing, and I love helping students in that process.

Scarlet: So it made you want to become a missionary?

Ms. Gray: Yeah. Like, I had the desire before, but it really solidified it for me.

Scarlet: Perfect, thank you. Tell me a summary about the process of filming your documentary.

Ms. Gray: Oh, sure. Just to clarify, it's not a documentary, but a production narrative. It's a different kind of film. It's like a story. It's a bunch of stories.

Scarlet: What's it called?

Ms. Gray: The name of the film is Worth More. Okay. So basically, my master's thesis was on a biblical understanding of human value. Mental illness runs in my family. So when I heard that medical assistance in dying was going to become available for people with mental illness in 2024, I was deeply concerned. I'd been praying for a year about writing a script because I enjoy writing scripts. Finally, I wrote a script after doing some research. Then I kept reaching out to organizations trying to find a videographer or a business that would want to partner with me. I became really desperate about it because it was like maybe January, and the law was supposed to change in March of 2024. I just felt like I had to do something. Like, this is really horrible that people who are not well in their minds are going to be allowed to end their lives, and they should be getting counseling. They should maybe be getting medication or something, right? And, yeah, I remember there was a particular day I was crying and praying, asking God, and I got a phone call back. This guy was very, like, he heard about the situation. He didn't know about it. He was deeply concerned, too. And he decided to partner with me. We worked really fast. It was really intense. We did all-nighters. We had to get a bridge permit. We filmed in the snow, like, while it was snowing. There were some challenges, but we did it. Now, it's in Ontario, and it's given me an opportunity to talk about the value of human life, spread awareness about what's going on, and encourage people to take action.

Scarlet: Okay, that's a good answer. What's your best joke?

Ms. Gray: Oh, my goodness. My best joke? Okay. I would say I really enjoy it. I don't know what kind of sense of humor that is, but I enjoy pranks. And so, yeah, I don't want to give away things, but for April Fools, I've tricked my students before. With my nieces and nephews in the summer, I showed up and said I had a gift for them. And they all lined up to receive it. I said, turn around. Then I sprayed them all with a super soaker. So that's kind of my style of joking. I know that's not like making a joke, but it's like a practical joke.

Scarlet: Okay. What is your greatest weakness?

Ms. Gray: Side eye Oh brother, who wanted to ask that one? My greatest weakness? I think I've struggled a lot with fear. Which is such a general one, but I would say fear of failure, fear of the future. I think I can still struggle a lot with fear of what other people think about me. So I would say being afraid and not trusting and resting in God. 

Scarlet: I get that..

Ms. Gray: Another weakness I have is to love things too much. So I love my job too much and then I'm not resting enough. Kind of like, I guess, getting priorities mixed up.

Scarlet: Okay, and then what is the most creative excuse you've ever heard from a student for missing homework?

Ms. Gray: That was a funny question. I mean, I have had a student tell me their dog literally did eat their homework.

Scarlet: Oh, yeah.

Ms. Gray: And I think it was true.

Scarlet: Okay, what is the funniest thing a student has ever submitted? Like, by mistake, or just messed up the project?

Ms. Gray: I remember one time, I think it was the selfie reading assignment. Someone submitted a picture of a goat.

Scarlet: What did you give them for that?

Ms. Gray: I just found him and said, let's talk about why you submitted this. I think he resubmitted it.

Scarlet: If you could describe yourself with only one word, what would it be? No explanation at all, literally just one word.

Ms. Gray: “Loved”.

Scarlet: Perfect. Thank you so much.

Ms. Gray: Okay, sweet. Thank you, bye.