Pop Quiz: Sela Ward

Award-winning actress Sela Wardhas starred in many movies, includingThe Guardian and The Fugitive, andis widely known for her work ontelevision in the critically acclaimeddramatic series Once and Again,as well as in the medical dramaHouse. But her greatest performancemay have been establishing Hope Village in Meridian, Mississippi,which aids abused and neglectedchildren. She is working to createsimilar nurturing spaces across thecountry.

What is your idea of a perfect teacher?

One who is stimulating, creative, and patient.

What was your most memorable schoolexperience?

As a cheerleader, being run over by the footballteam as they charged onto the field.

What was the low point of your school career?

A very mean math teacher who ruined myfavorite subject for me, forever.

Did you go to public or private school?

Both.

Where did you fit in your schools' socialhierarchies?

As a cheerleader at a school in the South, itdidn't get much better.

What was your favorite subject?

Originally math, and then art.

If you could change one thing about educationin America, what would it be?

Spend more time on concepts, themes, andbig-picture perspective and less time on memorizingfacts.

What is impossible to learn in school?

What you can get only from the love and supportof some derivation of a family.

What should they teach that they don't teachnow?

Life skills and how to study.

What did you learn today?

Too much of even a good thing is too much;and, at the hair salon today, I learned thatpeople actually dye their hair pink.

What did you teach?

Negotiating skills to my eight-year-olddaughter.

What is in your dream lunch box?

Two spicy tuna hand rolls, two baked crab handrolls, soy beans, miso soup, and a great glassof chardonnay.

If you wrote a textbook, what would it be called?

What It All Really Means . . .

If the prom were tomorrow, whom would youtake?

The two favorite men in my life: my husbandand my son.