7 Things You Don't Need to Know About Me

Melanie Holtsman tagged me for the Seven Things You Don't Need to Know About Me meme by Anne Oro and Bill Genereux . This meme is not an easy one for me because I don't know that anything in my life is kept personal. Most of my school family knows me very well. But, I have trouble saying no to Melanie.

1. I grew up in a village, population 300, and my sister is raising her own children in our childhood home. Most people who know me now have a hard time picturing me in this setting, but it's true. I was raised in Turtlepoint, PA and my three siblings and I spent most of our days next door at my grandfather's farm. We played hide and seek in the hay loft, feed the pigs, helped milk the cows, and built what we thought was a pretty impressive play house across the creek. My sister still lives in our hometown and is now raising her children at our old homestead.

2. I grew up on the same road as all of my first cousins. My mother is one of seven children who were all raised at the intersection of Annin Creek Road and Longhollow Road. My grandfather owned and farmed hundreds of acres on Longhollow, so as his children wed, they each were given a few acres of land to build their homes. Each of the seven children built their homes within the first mile up Longhollow Road and raised their families. My dad was one of two children and his brother built his home across the street from ours, so my cousin from dad's side was also my neighbor.

3. I hated to read as a child. I started school at age four and was a struggling reader for most of my childhood years. My first grade teacher (now my step-mom) can attest to that! It wasn't until college that I felt competent and wasn't until I became a teacher and began reading professionally and personally that I developed a love for books. I did however like being read to and I can remember each teacher who read to me and which books they read.

4. I loved roller skating as a kid and wish my children could have had that experience. Coudersport, PA had a roller rink and on special occasions, my mom would let my brother and I ride a bus from our school to the roller rink for an afternoon of roller skating and archade games. The loud speakers would play all the latest songs from my favorites--Kenny Rogers and Olivia Newton John!

5. I was an active member of my high school's Student Council and was Senior Class President, of course my graduating class only had 87 students. :)

6. I entered college at Clarion University to become a psychologist but thankfully switched my major as a sophomore. I received college credits from three different universities before getting my masters...Clarion, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, and the University of North Florida.

7. I've worked four different jobs. I worked as a waitress (not pretty), a deli worker at the hometown grocery store (nearly lost a finger), as a glass factory worker (to pay my way through college, pictured here), and as an educator (my life's passion).

Now, I tag the following people:

Jessica Lipsky

Melissa Ross & Carrie McLeod

Debbie Cothern & Michelle Ellis