A little bit about me. . .

 

I was born, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, up north in one of the most important cities in U.S. history – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  But my family moved around a good deal, so my growing up years were spent in both a small town (Sharon, PA, home of one of my favorite writers, who also ended up in Sarasota – the late, great John D. MacDonald) and a big city (Brooklyn, NY – which explains my perpetual search for a really good bagel down here in the South).  I ended up in Buffalo, NY, and am a happy refugee from Western New York’s snow and ice and dark dreary days! 

Text Box: I have a Bachelor’s degree in History, another B.A. in English, and am working to finish my master’s degree (anyone have a few thousand dollars to spare?).  I taught for almost 10 years at Venice High school, and was chosen by Dr. Norris and a committee of county administrators as one of the first teachers to become a NeXt Generation teacher/trainer.  That was flattering, but not as flattering as getting a phone call from Colonel Kennedy offering me the position of my dreams here at SMA.  

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: I have three children, all grown up now.  My eldest daughter Leah is an incredibly talented visual artist, which means she may be the one taking your order at Burger King this week.  I console her with the reminder that Van Gogh only sold a few paintings in his lifetime (both to his own brother!), and she reminds me that last time she checked, she still had both of her ears.  My middle child, Ben, is a big, burly guy who is a secret Shakespeare fanatic.  He collects medieval weapons, so I try hard to stay on his good side.  My youngest daughter, Tamara, is currently a junior in the Honors College at USF in Tampa, where to my enormous envy she is currently studying (among other things) Arabic and fencing!

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: I love science fiction (including Star Trek in all its manifestations, Babylon Five, and Firefly), and have been addicted to history since I learned to read.  As I tell my students, history is about people – their passions, their interests, their personal and public lives.  And people are the most fascinating subject on earth.   

 

Text Box: I am the proud owner of three adorable dogs – a crazy cockapoo (Tucker), a Shih-Tsu/Pekinese mix (the beauteous princess Lily), and a darned cute pug (Pearl, who gives the sweetest canine kisses in the world).  I also have a cat (Willow, who literally washed up on our driveway after one of North Port’s torrential downpours) who tolerates me only because she knows who buys her food.  Who says cats are dumb?