The beginning of the 2023-24 year brought 19 new teachers, who’ve been tasked with filling the spots of beloved Graded faculty. As the second quarter begins, seniors are stressing out, juniors are getting used to their IB classes, freshmen are learning the HS way, and sophomores are somewhere in between. Regardless, students are (or should be) settling into the new academic year.
Ms. Abrams, IB biology and ESS teacher, though new to Graded, has already made an impact. Whether it be her British accent, popular class breaks, or (very) long tests, her presence in the A wing (particularly A04), has become known around the school. In an interview with the Talon, Ms. A shares that she applied to Graded after living in Doha, Qatar for 5 years. “The school is what attracted me, and the country [since it] was so different to Doha”. Though she misses “not having to think about safety,” it’s “also what I don’t miss”. She doesn’t miss “the artificial nature” stating that “I love the big city” and that she “wanted the freedom”.
Outside of being a bio and ESS teacher, Ms. Abrams loves live music, yoga, and traveling (“but that’s like everyone else”). Right now, “Peru is on top of my list, especially after going to Cuba last year”. When living abroad, she misses “the familiarity of place where you know all of the systems” – “I know I’m supposed to say family. The reason why I haven’t is because I feel like technology has really improved the gap”, describing home as “light, warmth, belonging, and discovery”
When asked about the UK, she states that “living in the UK is like a beautiful curse” and that she “didn’t like the weather”. Nonetheless, she “love[s] Bristol” because “it doesn’t feel like the UK” due to the fact that “everyone is kind of hippy and free”. Regarding the difficult question of scones with raisins or without she says “I prefer them without. Raisins? No thank you”. Ms. Abrams has “always been a traveler but it wasn’t enough. I had to leave”.
When describing a moment in which she felt the happiest, she recalls her wedding day. “We got married in Abu Dhabi just us two. We got married at 7 am, then we went to a theme park, and went for a great meal”. She adds that another memory is “a collection of days,” explaining that “I miss Sundays at my grandmother’s house.” Nowadays, “it’s very rare for all of us to be together.”
In the future, Ms. A “would love to have a farm one day.” She shares that when asked “when you think about happiness what are you doing?”, her answer would be “I’m in a garden, planting with my children.” Ultimately, Ms. A says: “I’m excited. Graded has a lot to offer, but I also have a lot to offer Graded.”
