Meet the Teacher

I am a single mother and grandmother. I have been a 1st grade teacher for 5 years, but I have been in education for 17 years.  I began volunteering when my daughter was in first grade. Later, I became an assistant teacher.  When I realized my destiny was to be a teacher, I enrolled in college and began a long journey.  At times I had to work two part-time jobs in addition to my full-time job as an assistant while taking 1-2 courses per semester.

My 25 year-old daughter is a massage therapist and the mother of my beautiful grand-daughter.  They live with me, so I get to spoil my grand-daughter and my daughter gets to spoil me.  I am the oldest of six children.  Our family loves getting together on Sundays and any other chance we get.  I have been blessed with a loving, caring, and supportive family.

 This was taken as a Mother's Day Gift for my daughter.  The book is "I Say a Little Prayer for You", which I gave to my daughter several years ago.

Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher?                                             
A:  I would probably be a librarian.  I still have hopes of opening my own small-town bookstore/coffee house, too.
Q: What are your hobbies?                                                                                    
A:  Sewing, scrapbooking, arts and crafts, and photography.                                                                 

Q: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?                     
A:  I wanted to be a teacher until I started high school.  Then I wanted to be a fashion designer.
   
Q: What are your guilty pleasures?                                                                 
 A: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Dr. Pepper, the show; Weeds, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, blogging and blog stalking, my wine of the month club, and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

Q: What is your biggest fear?!                                                                      
 A: OMG! Caterpillars, slugs, snails, worms, and driving across long bridges. It's crazy that snakes and flying don't bother me.

Although caterpillars give me the creeps, I couldn't pass up a photo op.

Q: When you’re on vacation, where do you like to go?                                  
 A: Quiet, non-commercialized beaches.  We would go to the Outerbanks 1-2 times a year when my sister lived there. The waves would put me to sleep at night and drown out the rowdy children during the day, so I could read.  I loved watching the dolphins in the mornings, and sitting at the top of the world on Jockey's Ridge.  I also love the beautiful waters of the Bahamas.  One day I would love to go to Italy.
                                                         
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?                                                   
A:  Do something nice for yourself.  That's one reason I take off for my birthday every year. 

Q: What do you value most in others?                                                                   
A:  Integrity and a sense of humor.

Q: If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass down to your kids, what would it be?                                                                                                        
A: My optimism. I try to steer clear of negativity.   

Q: If you could have lunch with anyone in the world….living or dead…who would it be?                                                                                                              
A:  I would love to have lunch with Ron Clark, and spend the rest of the day with him at his school. 

I have Ron Clark's book.  I was able to hear him speak last March. His energy is contagious.

Now tell us one random thing about yourself:

I've been hang-gliding, and would like to do it again.  As a matter of fact, I want to learn to fly a plane.