The School Newspaper of Harriton High School

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The School Newspaper of Harriton High School

The Harriton Banner

The School Newspaper of Harriton High School

The Harriton Banner

Meetin’ with Maug…An Interview with English Teacher Mrs. Mauger

AP English Literature and English 4 Honors teacher Mrs. Mauger always struck me as a down-to-earth, cool person, so I interviewed her to learn more.  When she was a high school senior, Mrs. Mauger graduated third in her class from Pottsgrove High school, and gave a speech at graduation on Future Shock.  At Pottsgrove, she was voted most likely to succeed, most intellectual, and best dancer!  She went on to attend three different colleges before settling down at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in English Education.  She started teaching in 1978 at Boyertown High school and came to  our own Harriton High School two years ago; she says of Harriton, “I consider it a real privilege to end my teaching career in such a progressive community among such talented professionals and students.”  In addition to her passion for teaching, Mrs. Mauger also deeply values her family- she has three children, Joshua, a National Accounts Manager at Anda Pharmaceuticals in Weston, Florida, Jordan, a writer for an advertising agency in Willow Grove, and Caitlin, a psychology major at Penn State, with her husband Lawrence, the Chief of Safety and Security in the Owen J. Roberts School District.  They live in the hills above Boyertown, where she enjoys taking walks in the woods and playing with her dog Mikey, who is a combination of collie, keeshond, and Labrador.  Sitting down with her, I learned the following:

Harriton Banner: What is one of your favorite books?
Mrs. Mauger: After giving this much thought, I remembered a few real standouts: I loved Dandelion Wine, The Poisonwood Bible and Beloved.  I tend to like Gothic stories and novels.  I’ve always been that way.  As a child, I loved Edgar Allan Poe.

Harriton Banner: What is one of your favorite movies?
Mrs. Mauger: An all time favorite is The Sound of Music.  I loved Avatar.  I tend to love movies with large sweeping landscapes and human drama, so I love Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter Movies, Gladiator.  I’m fascinated by the supernatural, so I love any book, TV show, or movie that deals with “super” forces.

Harriton Banner: Do you like any specific genre of music/band?
Mrs. Mauger: I enjoy music in general, in particular R&B.  My main radio stations are 106.1, 96.5, and 102.1.  I really love any music you can dance to.  My taste in music runs the gamut.  I grew to love classical music when I studied the piano, and I’ve always loved music in general.  To me, listening to music and not being about to move to the beat is a punishment.

Harriton Banner: Do you particularly like a period of literature?
Mrs. Mauger: I love British Literature from the Anglo-Saxon period up to Shakespeare.

Harriton Banner: Do you have any hobbies?
Mrs. Mauger: I love to shop for bargains and then “dress up”.  I think mothering is one of my hobbies.  I find myself doing it wherever I go.  Currently, I take Tai Chi; I have also studied Tae Kwon Do.  In my distant past, I earned a black belt.  I love to think, to philosophize about life.  I love to analyze people, and I love to read (student writing).  Reading published authors is my main summer time hobby.

Harriton Banner: What is your favorite dessert?
Mrs. Mauger: Chocolate anything.

Harriton Banner: What color crayon would you be?
Mrs. Mauger: Definitely purple.  Just looking at it makes me happy.  There is something beautiful, yet so regal about it.

Harriton Banner: If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing?
Mrs. Mauger: At one point, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer.  That was after my psychologist phase.  Being a lawyer would allow me to analyze situations and create rational arguments.  Being a psychologist would allow me to work with and help people.  Being an English teacher has allowed me to combine all my interests and talents.

Harriton Banner: What is your craziest Halloween costume?
Mrs. Mauger: Either the year I was Catwoman, or the year I was Yoda.

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