Tara Welty, editor of Scholastic ART magazine and Scholastic Instructor magazine, is back on OOM today to share her experience of interviewing filmmaker Tim Burton. Take it away, Tara!

When I was a teenager I idolized Tim Burton. I could recite whole scenes from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (“There’s no basement in the Alamo!”) and sing the entire soundtrack of The Nightmare Before Christmas (“This is Halloween”). I may have even called out “Beetlejuice” three times just to see what would happen.

I’m a long way from high school, but I do speak with a lot of teachers. Strangely enough, plenty of them tell me that today’s high school students still dig Burton. Why do Burton’s movies resonate with teenagers, new and (ahem) old?

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Burton and ask him. He mentioned that his movies are a reflection of how he felt in high school—shy, awkward, full of self-doubt, and trying to understand where he fit in the world. Sound like any teens you know?

Check out the full interview, and an interactive version of this month’s Scholastic ART magazine here!

If only I could tell my high school self about all the cool stuff we’re going to get to do when we grow up!