>>Where the heck are you now?
Peoria, Illinois
>>Are you married? Single? Secretly a cult member? What have you been up to all these years?
Tim and I will celebrate our 22nd anniversary on June 28. We have three children--Sara (20), Nicholas (18), and Katherine (11). Tim is a planning analyst at Methodist Medical Center (No one really knows what that means); Sara is a nursing student; Nicholas (an avid hockey player and fan) will attend the local junior college this fall, and Katherine is turning 12 in July (Planning the party is really her favorite pasttime right now.)
I have been teaching English at Illinois Valley Central High School in Chillicothe for the past 22 years. I originally took the job as a stepping stone until I could move on to teaching at the college level. However, much to my own surprise, I LOVE teaching teenagers. I have absolutely no regrets that I have remained in the same place all of these years. The only frightening part of the job is that I am the English department chairperson and am currently number 4 on the seniority list! That means that I am one of those "old teachers."
I have also continued to be addicted to coursework. I received my first masters degree in education and will complete my second masters this December in educational administration. I am no sure what that means for the future; perhaps I will decide to enter the world of principals and assistant principals at some point, but I am not sure I can ever find an awesome secretary like Miss Barry!
I am not really a cult leader, but I have been accused of being one. Every fall and spring three other faculty members and I take approximately 30-40 seniors on a four day retreat. It is a time of personal reflection and reconnection. We spend the entire time away from media, telephones, family, etc. and have the most awesome experiences. Of course, there are those faculty members who believe that we are brainwashing the children and who suspect that we are serving tainted Kool-aid, thus the cult leader accusation.
>>What on earth do you do for a living?
As I mentioned, I teach English at IVC High School. Courses that I teach include Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition, English I Accelerated, Composition and Grammar, Mythology, and English I/II Credit Recovery. I am also the assistant student council advisor and Class of 2010 sponsor. Also, I sometimes spend one week per summer grading AP Literature essays for the College Board.
>>Last time you were in Monmouth?
Mom, Dad, Bobbi, and her family are still in Monmouth, so I visit pretty regularly. Our last visit was during Father's Day weekend.
>>How do you explain "Zippers" to people?
Actually, this name comes up quite a bit in my life. As a high school teacher, I have contact with coaches and athletic directors from the area. They are always intrigued by the nickname and want to talk about it. The mascot at IVC is a Grey Ghost, so I have traveled from one unusual mascot to another. Also, my students love to hear the stories about the Zippers and the saying "You can't get our Zippers down!" It comes up (no pun intended) almost every year while I am crawling around with the students in some garage building a homecoming float!
>>Favorite motion picture of all time?
I am truly not a movie fan, but I did like Capote very much.
>>You've come this far.. how bout an email address for folks to keep in contact with ya?
>>Finally, any current/old photos to share?
2. Second photo is Katherine and Sara in Mexico-June 2007
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