I just finished up reading all of your ABCs of Me or your All About Me letter to me and I loved learning so much about each one of you. I KNOW that we're going to have a WONDERFUL year together! After reading them all, though, I was inspired to write one about me for all of you. I hope you enjoy it and learn from it as much as I enjoyed and learned from yours.
A: Auntie is one of the best titles that I hold! I love being Auntie Katie to my four year old niece, Lucy ( I call her "my munchkin" or "Luce MaGoose." I brought her to school to help me set up my classroom - she helped me with your Twitter board - and she was so upset that all of you guys weren't there. She can't wait to meet my students), my two year old nephew Jimmy (aka "Jimmy-Jam") and my two and a half month old nephew Frankie (I'm still working on a nickname for him. Everyone calls him "Frankster," but one day I called him "Frankfort" and now it just keeps slipping out. I have to stop that though because who really wants to have a nickname synonymous with a hotdog?!?). They are the light of my life and I love spending time with them. They are the BEST!
B: Backs. I will always have each and every one of your backs. Sometimes you might get mad at me for pushing you so hard. Sometimes you might think I'm picking on you or that I don't like you. I can ensure you that's not the case. But I will not allow you to settle for anything less than your best, and when you think you've achieved your best, I will push you to be better than your best!
C: I met some of my best friends at Lesley College, which is now Lesley University, and I cherish those relationships more than anyone knows. My friends mean the world to me, and they all have taught me so much about myself, love, loyalty, and what it means to be a true friend. I was so blessed to have them all there at my wedding - either as one of my bridesmaids, singing as I walked down the aisle or reading one of the poems Dan and I selected to be shared.
D: I know that this is kind of pathetic, but Dance Moms is my Tuesday night obsession. I love watching all of the dancing (I was a competitive dancer from 8-14) and sometimes fast forward through the drama. I also watch it to remind myself that I never want my students to be afraid of me like Abby Lee Miller's are of her. Afraid to disappoint me, yes, but not afraid of me as a person.
E: I set my expectations high for myself. If you don't have high expectations and goals, then how do you know what you're fully capable of? I may get frustrated with myself when I'm struggling, but I use that feeling to propel myself even more. I will NEVER let anyone tell me I can't do something or I'm bad at something. I am so stubborn when it comes to this!
F: Fantasy Football is what my fall is all about! Funny story about that is that up until three years ago, I couldn't stand Sundays in the fall. I would purposely go shopping during the Patriots game because the grocery stores were always almost empty at that time. Then, when I met my husband, a bunch of his friends' girlfriends and wives were going to do a fantasy football league so they had a reason to watch football with their boyfriends/husbands (who are all in a league together). I joined and this new football loving monster was born! I have come in third the past two years and am striving for a first place finish this year (although I'm not off to a good start with Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy getting schooled last night!).
G: Although I can hold my own in sports, I am a true girly girl at heart! I love shopping for new necklaces and clothes, especially dresses (I can't wait for Mrs. Myers to come back to school so I have my accessory and clothing buddy back!). Days where I can go get my hair did and get a pedicure make me the happiest. I love occasions that require getting really dressed up and fancier makeup. It all just makes me so happy!
H: Although I LOVE being an ELA teacher, a secret of mine is that I would also love to teach history, which was my favorite subject all throughout school. I love visiting historical sites and thinking about all the people that had lived during that time and that had stood there. I find history, and more important the people in it, absolutely FASCINATING!
I: I have been very blessed to be a part of such an amazing family headed up by the best mom (you will hear me talk about "Susan" in class and that's her). She is the most selfless woman I know. I have learned so much from her about how to be a good, loving person. She's my hero, my rock, and my best friend. I wish I was nicer to her when I was your age!
J: Jumping is something you won't catch me doing. I had knee surgery last year and since then my knees have never felt fully right. I teach a bunch of classes at Global Fitness Center, but I'm having to give some up because I can't handle all the plyometrics anymore with my knees the way they are. I'm really bummed because I liked teaching those two classes, but I'm trying to stay positive. At least I can still teach kickboxing and a dance class there :).
K: Kauai and Maui were where I went on my honeymoon. We spent a week on each island, and I can hands-down say that Kauai was my absolute favorite. I will definitely be going back there as soon as I can!
L: I am a lifelong learner. I absolutely love to learn new things and explore new interests. Right now I'm back in school to try to get another degree and I'm loving the fact that I get to take a Shakespeare class this fall. He is one of my favorite writers of all time and I can't wait to see what new aspects of his life and work I can learn from this new teacher. I also learned how to crochet a few weekends ago and I am enthralled in making a baby blanket for my friend who is having a baby boy in August. I hope she likes it!
M: Mrs. Leahy is my new name because I got married this past June. After being Ms. Ferreira for 11 school years, I'm having an awkward time getting used to my new name. But my husband Dan is great and I couldn't be more happy to take his name, so I guess I'll work hard to get used to it. You guys think you can help me out with that?
N: Although I'm always excited to start a new school year, I'm always nervous meeting my new crew of Language All-Stars. I worry about all the same things I think you guys do when you start school but with a little adult spin on it. "Will they like me?" "Will people listen?" "I hope I don't do anything embarrassing!"
O: Besides being able to have the greatest job on the planet and work with some awesome kids , one of the best parts about coming to work every day is that I work with the BEST people. They are all gifted teachers that take their jobs seriously and I have learned so much from them. But more importantly, they are my friends and we have a blast working together. There's always plenty of laughs in the 8th grade hallway between all of the 8th grade teachers. I hope you guys are ready to have a fun year!
P: There are plenty of sports that I have enjoyed playing over the years, but none of them has ever been in the winter. I am NOT a cold lover and have never enjoyed skiing, skating, sledding or shoveling. I always hated putting on all of my snow gear just to turn around and beg my mom to let me go back inside and have hot chocolate, which is the only thing I enjoy about winter (well, that and Ugg boots).
Q: I am totally the queen of my own world. My nana nicknamed me the Queen when I was born and I have totally lived up to that title. I sometimes think it would be cool to have lived in Elizabethan England and been royalty. Wearing those dresses alone would be awesome!
R: As one of my bridal shower gifts, we received a quilt that has now become my savior on nights where Dan and I are watching violent shows like Game of Thrones, Criminal Minds, The Following and The Walking Dead (I only watch that one because it's Dan's favorite and he won't miss an episode). I end up ducking my head under it more than I watch the shows because I can't handle all of the killing, blood and gore.
S: So You Think You Can Dance is one of my favorite shows ever! I have loved watching every season and think that Travis Wall is utterly fantastic. His choreography is breathtaking. I have been not-so-subtly hinting at Dan that I would love to go and see this season's tour when they go to Foxwoods in CT this November. I'll let you know if I'm successful in this endeavor.
T: I enjoy traveling very much. I've been to almost all of the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Hawaii, Bermuda, Canada, Colorado, California (particularly San Fransisco, which I would move to in a heartbeat if I could convince Dan to come with me) and pretty much every state along the eastern seaboard. I love pinning things on Pinterest (another obsession of mine!) about the places I dream to go to. My top five list currently is: Greece, South Africa, Italy, All of northern Europe and Alaska, but these are all always changing.
U: Unraveling is what I do when I finally get home at night. I say unraveling instead of unwinding because it's a messy process. I literally open the door, dump my teacher bag, my lunch bag and my gym bag on the floor, take my shoes off as I'm walking around bouncing from here to there until I finally flop on the couch with my feet up to zone out to mindless TV. I'm always misplacing things because they're everywhere. It takes forever in the morning to find everything, but when I come home, I need 30 minutes to zone out to some ridiculous show and not think.
V: I tend to be very happy, kind, energetic, empathetic, opinionated, optimistic, persistent, excitable, stubborn, outgoing and loud person, and I have come to cherish all aspects of my personality. They may not be always be qualities that are desirable (especially when I'm having a bad day), but they make me who I am, and I think it's a pretty beautiful person to be!
W: Words are something that fascinate me! I love learning new words and using them. I think that's one of the reasons I love to read so much. I have a list of a few words that are my favorite words (one is juxtaposition) and a list of words that I detest (which I won't share for obvious reasons). I hope that throughout the year, you can share in (or at least appreciate) this love of mine!
X: I am eXtremely competitive! I hate to lose and I have worked very hard to try to keep my disappointing feelings in when I lose. The thing that is worse than losing is being a sore loser.
Y: I can't wait to see how you will continue to entertain me on a daily basis. My students are the reason I get up in the morning. You inspire me to be a better teacher and a better person. I cherish my relationships with my students tremendously and I know that we're going to have a great year together!
Z: Zero risks taken means zero rewards gotten. Life's too short to live with regret or to be scared. I've learned to look fear in the face and keep moving. Even when it knocks me down, I get up (maybe not always right away) and try again. "It's okay not to know, but it's NOT OKAY not to try!"
No comments:
Post a Comment