: About Me

I have led a rather eclectic life. I was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and grew up in a Navy family. I grew up as a "Navy brat." That makes me, in a sense, a dandelion, sort of going wherever the wind has taken me.

That has taken me to places (while growing up) like Rhode Island, California, Maryland, Mississippi, Terceira (one of the Azores Islands of Portugal) and to where I live now, western Pennsylvania. I graduated high school in a small town in western Pennsylvania.

I have also lived in Arizona, where I lived and worked at Grand Canyon National Park for almost 1 1/2 years.

I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in education from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. My minor is in ESL (English as a Second Language).

Past  experiences include bookkeeper, billing clerk, waiting tables, retail and customer service, and also for a tour bus company.

I have formal classroom teaching experience in a multi-age ESL inclusion primary classroom (first through third grades). There were 50 students in the class, half ESL students, the other half native English speakers. I have also done substitute teaching.

My current work includes English conversation practice with international students at the nearby university, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I also help many of those same students with writing, editing and proofreading of their work.

Interests include writing (including poetry, monologues for performance, and stories-both fiction and non-fiction), reading (wide range and variety), genealogy and history, travel, collecting stamps and post cards, and music (including having played handbells and violin, and vocal performance).

My passion is ...

teaching, writing, reading, travel and spending time with friends.

I know too much about ...

geography.

My parents always told me ...

Rather than pay me back, just be sure to do something for someone else down the road.

My childhood ambition ...

teaching and farming.

My favorite memory ...

Watching 4th of July fireworks over the Atlantic Ocean at Lajes Field AFB in Portugal.

Why I write ...

to share what I have learned, and to communicate.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Re-reading Asimov and Tolkien favorites, watching Stargate SG-1, and listen to Christian music, classical, and Billie Holiday.

My first job ...

delivering the local paper.

My best moment ...

Having the class I student-taught surprise me by showing up at my graduation ceremony.

My inspiration ...

Both sets of grandparents, my parents, and a close friend from Asia.

Celebrations & Holidays > Celebrations & Holidays (Other) How to enjoy a snow day at home

2 of 15

Snow day! A cool and exciting phrase to hear if you are a student dreading going to school in the cold. It is also a great phrase if you are out in the working world, and would rather stay home for a surprise vacation day.  Staying at home on a snow day could be either boring or something to enjoy. How can you enjoy a snow day at home? Here are a few things you can do to enjoy the unexpected snow day at home. Remember: even though the exact day arises unexpectedly, planning or thinking about such an event ahead of time can avoid the "how to spend my free day" thoughts. One thing you c...

More..

Writing:

Rating:

• Creative Writing Bronze
• Marketplace Approved Writer
• Marketplace Premier Writer
• Helium Charter Member