Teacher Tag: Ms Borchard

Interviewed by Ruwan, Mily and Shan

I: So what subjects do you teach?

Ms Borchard: So german, year 8 science, year 11 and 12 bio and I also teach psychology. At my old school I was known as a psychology teacher, but I don’t even teach psych here. And technically i can teach chemistry but that ain’t happening.

I: Do you think there’s a different environment between students from your previous school and Unihigh?

Ms Borchard: Hugely different, like it could not be more different really. The interests, the way you guys are naturally interested in learning, you’re really polite to staff members and you’re so happy and inclusive of each other. I've never really seen that before so it’s really nice.

I: What do you look forward to at Unihigh?

Ms Borchard: The kids are really fun and easy to teach, I think you guys are such a diverse bunch. Coming here from my previous school, I remember going back home to my housemates and saying ‘the kids are so cool! They wear nail polish and they all have really cool fashion and they're just so interesting!” and i think that i learn a lot from you guys everyday. So I love coming in and seeing the students and staff.

I: So what was your favourite subject when you were in high school?

Ms Borchard: Oo great question. I was always really into english, I just wanted to read all the time. And then unfortunately I have 3 years of really tough english classes where Rest In Peace, one of my teachers passed away, and then the others were just a bit chaotic, so then that kind of pushed me into sciences a bit more. Actually I didn't even know I liked bio, I just had a year 11 bio teacher who I just loved, and that totally changed everything for me. So it was always either biology or history revolutions at year 12, they were my favourite. So I was always unsure whether I wanted to be an arts student or a sciences student, but ended up doing science.

I: What was your dream job as a kid?

Ms Borchard: Being a teacher! I always wanted to be a primary school teacher. When I was in high school I was like ‘stuff this, these kids are so rude to their teachers, there’s no way I'm dealing with this,’ but I love it. It's always what i've wanted to do. I tossed up going into some medical field for a little bit but then went straight back into this.

I: Did you have any plans that were cancelled because of Corona?

Ms Borchard: I wasn’t going to be teaching this year, I was sort of hoping to be travelling this year, working in an international school or doing some volunteering overseas. But then because of corona i thought it would be nice to stay closer to my family and live in Melbourne and to move back this way. Yeah, totally different.

I: Do you have a favourite musical?

Ms Borchard: Absolutely obsessed with Hamilton at the moment, as is everyone else. Not particularly unique to me, but I love Hamilton. Really keen to go see that (in Sydney). I also have to say I really love Mamma Mia. I was in Mamma Mia the year before last year, so I performed Mamma Mia in Horsham. It was very fun, that was a great time.

I: What’s a movie you currently like?

Ms Borchard: That’s a hard one, okay… the most recent movie I watched for the first time ever was Tarzan, and I loved it. My new housemate has a Disney Plus subscription, so we’re going through all the movies. So Tarzan and The Lost City of Atlantis is pretty great. I’d never seen them before as a child, I had a very German childhood. My parents used to make me watch all these German shows, so I’m kind of going back and catching up. There you go, my profound answer is that I love watching Disney movies.

I: Do you have a favourite German show?

Ms Borchard: I was obsessed with Pippi Longstockings as a child. It came to the extent that sometimes when I had a bad day at High School I’d go home and watch Pippi Longstockings thinking about getting a Pippi Longstocking tattoo and yeah. It was a pretty cute series.

I: What’s your favorite book?

Ms Borchard: My go-to answer for this straight away is always Harry Potter. It’s sooo basic but it’s such a comforting thing as a child. I like reading books which give you a window into other cultures so I’m enjoying reading books set in lots of different cultures or historical events. I just finished reading Kate Grenvil’s new book which was really interesting - set in Colonial Australia about how we treated Australian Aboriginals which is really sad. It's a really nice book that I highly recommend.

I: What’s your current song or Artist that you’re obsessed with?

Ms Borchard: Hmm...okay. I just saw a really cool show on the weekend and Ash warrior was the support act and she was amazing - very fun. Didn’t go to see her but it was fun. Hmm… who else do I love? I’ve been obsessed with Vampire Weekend for a while so I’ve been playing that on repeat for a little bit.

I: Do you have a favourite Australian band?

Ms Borchard: Awww! Great question. I need to get my Spotify up, why don’t I have it? Ummm… I really like Ainslie Wills as an artist - she's really cool. I was in a choir where we just did Australian artists and we would sing a lot of those songs. We even got to perform with them sometimes and that was really cool. It was called ‘Melbourne Indie voices’ and we got to do a song with Ainslie Wills and we also got to perform a song with Ali Barter so that was really fun. I think Australian music is phenomenal.

I: Have you lived in Melbourne your whole life?

Ms Borchard: I lived in Horsham for the last 3 years. I grew up in Melbourne, went to school in Melbourne and did a program called ‘Teacher Australia’ then lived up in Horsham for 2 years and moved to [..] which is a town of 500 people and that is where I spent my lockdown - in a little town of 500 people who were like hippy rock climbers which as amazing! I had all these amazing people who lived next door to me who were like these rock climbing legends - and I’ve been to these rock climbing gyms in Melbourne and they’re like ‘WOW! You know so and so…’. I felt really lucky to be there with paddocks around me during lockdown - it was awesome.

I: What’s the difference between Melbourne and the small towns?

Ms Borchard: Other than the size? Haha… The sense of community and the sense of time I think. I really have missed a community where everyone cares for each other. Like you drive down a street and you wave at anyone - regardless if you know them or not, whereas in Melbourne people are too busy, they’re too rushed. When I was in the country I felt really mindful because you had to appreciate the things you had. So there was one pub where you got your dinner if you ever wanted to eat out. You had one group of friends but it meant that you really valued things. I think it slows you down a lot. I miss it a lot. Some of the kids came down to GTAC so I got to say hello to them. I also got to see their valedictory which was really cool.

I: How big was the school?

Ms Borchard: The school was quite big - the town was 1600 and I was in a smaller town, but the school was around...900 maybe? Which is pretty big for the area.

I: Where are some places that you have travelled to before?

Ms Borchard: At the moment it’s just Australia, I’ve been amazingly to Tasmania and Darwin, and the Northern territory this year which is really exciting

I: Hahaha wow!! It’s only April!!

Ms Borchard: Hahaha I know right! Watch me go, hehe making the most of it. Otherwise I’ve done most continents. I’m trying to get to South America and Africa. I’ve done a fair amount of Asia, I really liked going to Myanmar which was really awesome. I’ve been to India and lots of places in Europe. I’ve been to New York, I wanted to hate it but I loved it.

I: Do you have a favourite place you’ve visited?

Ms Borchard: I love my little german village, I have to say. It’s not anything super special but being able to walk in the forest and see deer and having walnuts fall at your feet is pretty magical. As well as hearing the clock bells chime, yeah it’s pretty lovely.

I: Do you have any favourite dishes?

Ms Borchard: Hmm, I have this convo all the time with my friends. I can cook Italian, but I’m trying to broaden my horizons. I’m obsessed with food of all varieties, and I’m obsessed with the Ethiopian place near my house so maybe that’s my answer.

I: Do you have any role models?

Ms Borchard: I think it’s important to have your friends as your role models and like surround yourself with people who inspire you. That’s something which I try to live my life by. I’m not really someone who follows many celebrities, but if i was gonna choose one it would be Emma Watson cause I’ve always wanted to be Emma Watson. It’s either Emma Watson or Ms Honey from Matilda hahaha

I: What’s the best advice you could give to a student, for school or life?

Ms Borchard: I think I would say, just follow what makes you happy and what you enjoy. There’s so much pressure on you guys to have a decision on what you want to do in your future, or to study and feel like you know what you’re doing, and the thing is, you’re never gonna know! I still don’t know what I want to do, and I remember cringing when people told me that but as long as you follow what you enjoy, you will be happy and you will enjoy it. And you will thrive and opportunities will come to you. Enjoy it, we’re all very very privileged to be in a school such as Uni High, so enjoy it.

I: Final question, who do you tag?

Ms Borchard: Ms Flannagen!

Thank you so much Ms Borchard for taking the time to do this interview with us and we hope you’re having a great time at Uni High!!! <3

Teacher Tag: Ms Borchard

cover image: autumn @ uni high, created by lily smith, 11J1