Talkback: Mandy Smith

Age: 25

School: St Martin's De Porres School, Bounds Green

Occupation: television presenter, model and singer

Miss Ainger was the teacher who influenced me the most. This was in primary school. She reminded me of Princess Diana to look at. Most of the time she was angelic, but she had a streak in her where she could really put her foot down. She was a brilliant teacher. You could ask her anything and she didn't make you feel intimidated.

Those were my good days the rest of my time at school, I really hated. I went on to a Convent school for girls. I really wished I'd gone to a mixed school. It was a bit too catty - you know, all girls. You'd be fined every minute if you didn't have your pencil or ruler. If you didn't have the right colour coat, you'd have a 10p fine.

Mandy Smith recalls her favourite teacher

I really don't mind someone teaching discipline, I think we all need it, but Miss Ainger didn't need to come down too heavily; we respected her. You don't respect someone who doesn't let you have your own personality, who tries to put you down and make you into a soldier. I have some bad feelings about school and I think it's a shame because now I'd like to study again. If I get a bit of time, I'm going to go back.

When you're small, half the time you don't really understand why you need to know the things you are being taught. But as you grow up you realise that they didn't seem to explain enough to you when you were young. Miss Ainger was one of those people who did.

Mary Ainger has been teaching for 19 years. She is now deputy headteacher at St Catherine’s School in Barnet.

I taught Mandy in one of her final years before she went off to secondary school. She was a quiet little girl. She got on very well with all her friends in her class. The thing I can remember was her sense of humour. She was always cheerful.

When people say Mandy, I think netball. If I said we were going out to play netball her face would light up. Her main interest was sport, but in class she was hard working.

I do keep in touch with her. Not so much because she was a past pupil but because we live quite near to each other. She seems to be organising her life, like we all do as we're growing older. She seems very happy and I hope she remains that way.

About the team

Interviews by editors Sharon O'Dea, 16, and Julia Press, 15 and reporters Natasha Asare, 13, and Abeyna Jones, 12. This article was published in The Guardian.