When I was writing 'The Abstinence Teacher ' I really tried to immerse myself in contemporary American evangelical culture.

I had an art teacher who's the reason I got there in high school who encouraged me to go to Alabama. That's where she had gone and kept raving over their art department.

Ironically for a few million people in the Far East I did become an English teacher through my music.

What is it in you that brings you to a spiritual teacher in the first place? It's not the spirit in you since that is already enlightened and has no need to seek. No it is the ego in you that brings you to a teacher.

There is no recipe to be a great teacher that's what is unique about them.

I started studying music at the age of five and a half. My older sister was taking piano lessons. When her teacher left our apartment I would get up on the piano bench and start picking out the notes that were part of my sister's lessons.

I first decided to become an actor at school. A teacher gave us a play to do and that had a major impact. At first I wanted to work in the theatre but there was something about the ambience of film especially American films that always attracted me.

The main thing I am interested in is my experience as a teacher.

Then I heard this genius teacher Stella Adler - I recommend you read anything you might find about her and if you have anyone interested in theatre you get them one of her books.

As a student I learned from wonderful teachers and ever since then I've thought everyone is a teacher.

And I found out the other part of it is that I found out and in my desire to life successfully that baseball fit very well into my life. It's been a great teacher trainer mentor and you'll see what I mean in the next few minutes that I have to speak.

As a former teacher and a mother and grandmother I know firsthand the importance of a quality education.

For one thing I teach my students what my teacher for twenty years Paul Gavert told me 'The voice follows... the voice follows everything about you... who you are.'

Well the teacher I studied with for nineteen and a half years was a man named Paul Gavert. He was a great lieder singer so basically I'm a trained lieder singer because of that teacher. The teacher I currently study with - since 1995 - is Joan Lader who also studied with Gavert.

I wasn't a ballet baby. My first dance class was in an outdoor pavilion when I was three. It was called 'creative movement.' The teacher gave us chiffon scarves in beautiful colors. She turned on some music and said 'Now go dance.' So for me dance has always been about self-expression.

When I went to college my goal was to be a college history teacher. I majored in history.

Time is a great teacher but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.

If I wasn't an actor I'd be a teacher a history teacher. After all teaching is very much like performing. A teacher is an actor in a way. It takes a great deal to get and hold a class.

I decided at age 9 but I was reinforced at age 13 when a teacher told me I had talent. I can't say she really motivated me because I already knew. I knew I had talent. I went to the Jewish community theater and got in plays there. Then I went for the movies.'

I wasn't a very good teacher.

The fact of the matter is that when there are feelings involved and you like someone it doesn't matter if you're an actor a teacher a doctor a lawyer a receptionist - you can't really help it when you have feelings for someone.

It was difficult being a teacher and out of the closet in the '50s. By the time I retired the English department was proud of having a gay poet of a certain minor fame. It was a very satisfactory change!

There is a shortage of teachers but the January 2001 schools census showed that teacher numbers were at their highest level than at any time since 1984 - and 11 000 higher than 1997.

I didn't want to be the archetypal sponging brother-in-law so I didn't go into acting when I got to the States. I thought 'No I'll go to school and then I'll be an English teacher that'll be fun.' But I was horrible as a teacher. As hard as I tried I just couldn't inspire those kids to take an interest in Milton and Shakespeare and Donne.