Barrett is a new Psychology teacher at Berkeley. She, her husband and two kids recently relocated to Florida. Prior to her move, Barrett had a private practice and was a college professor. She is a remarkable addition to our school and we are excited to welcome her into the Berkeley community.

Q: What first drew you to Psychology?

A: I was always interested in why people do what they do – you know the study of behavior. And I think that I’ve always been a curious person. I think those two things are really key for being interested in Psychology. 

Q: Have you worked anywhere other than Berkeley?

A: Yeah. So, as a psychologist I had a private practice for many years; I worked on inpatient units, I worked outpatient, private practice and specialized in working with adolescents and their families for a really long time. I also developed a specialization in stress and anxiety. Then, I was a college professor for the last 15 years at a college in New Jersey.

Q: Why did you decide to come to Berkeley?

A: My family moved here from New Jersey about a year and a half ago, and my kids started Berkeley, and we were all just really pleased and excited about the quality of the school and the people and the experiences that my kids were having. The opportunity to teach AP Psychology came up, and I thought it just sounded like a great idea. I’ve never taught high school, but I taught intro psychology to college freshmen for the past 15 years, so it is the same course content. And I just really was impressed with Berkeley so I thought it would be a good fit. 

Q: How are you liking the high school atmosphere so far?

A: I absolutely adore my students. I feel like I have the best students ever! They’re kind and engaged and smart and curious. I really like the high school atmosphere. Of course Berkeley’s campus is so beautiful and I’m really pleased, of course, [I like] that we are in person rather than online. I love the fact that I have an advisory group and they’re amazing. I love seeing them every day. And it’s kind of cool, learning a little bit about where my kids go to school and seeing some of the inner workings of the school. Last year, I was so happy with Berkeley and I have to say that teaching at Berkeley and seeing the inner workings has made me even more happy that my kids are here.

Q: How have you adjusted to the job with COVID?

A: Well, I’m surprised how easy it is to get used to the mask every day – I sort of thought that it would be harder than it was, but the physical practice of wearing the mask is easy. I think one of the hard parts for me is not being able to see students’ faces and learning their names. Without seeing their faces, it was a little challenging and sometimes teaching without seeing their faces is hard –  I don’t sometimes know where the questions are coming from! But it’s amazing how everyone has been so compliant with what they’re supposed to do and I think people are just overall very grateful that we’re here in person. I know I am! 

Q: Do you have any hobbies that you’d like to do outside of Berkeley?

A: Sure! I practice yoga. And I like to walk. I love spending time with my family, I watch Netflix. My family and I like to go out to dinner, which hasn’t happened as much anymore, but I also like to bake. 

Q: Do you have anything else to add?

A: I’ll just say something about teaching psychology – one of the reasons why I was excited to have this opportunity was, I think, psychology can feel very relevant to people, and this age, you know being a junior or senior in high school is such a perfect age to learn more about yourself and about your relationships. So that was part of what was exciting to me about this job was the opportunity to be able to teach kids at this age right before they’re sort of ready to launch into adulthood, and I feel like there’s a lot psychology can offer. And it’s a topic that can feel exciting and fun and relevant to students.