Inside our school’s AP psychology classroom is the teacher, Mrs. Richard who does not just educate, but inspires students. Since the opening of Heritage, she’s been teaching U.S history and AP psychology. Her contribution into teaching our schools psychology course goes further than just delivering lessons, she helps her students achieve understanding of themselves and peers, creating prepared individuals for the world.

Q: What brought you into teaching?

Both of my parents were educators and growing up, really all I knew was educating. It was the topic at dinner conversations. And I would teach to my dolls, starting at age 5, I’d line them up and make lesson plans and teach them things. I mean, I think it’s just in me. I think it was what I was called to do and what I loved doing. My husband jokes that I’ll teach to anybody whether they want to be taught or not. I just love it and I’m very passionate about the subjects I teach.

Q: What brought you into teaching psychology? Choice or Coincidence?

Since five I’ve known I wanted to teach. I just didn’t know what I wanted to teach. I know I wanted to teach upper grades for my college emphasis. So I first started with math, because I really loved my math teacher. But calculus was really, really hard for me and I started thinking about what else I would enjoy teaching. My 9th grade history teacher was one of my very favorite teachers that made me really love history and I had always had this passion for history. So I decided to go into social studies. Well [in] social studies, psychology falls under the umbrella. I taught U.S history for a long time and then I was asked what else I wanted to teach. I said psychology would be the only other thing I’d really want to teach. So I started teaching AP psychology and became super passionate about it.

Q: What area of teaching psychology do you find most fascinating and why?

I’ve always said I’m not a science person, I’m a social studies person, but the brain and body [is a] concrete explanation to our behavior and I find that really interesting. Behaviorism is one of my favorites. It applies to our lives millions of times a day. We could dissect our day and understand it. I love the application piece of that one. If I had to pick one [it’d be] either the biology or behaviorism.