Spotlight

I've been tagged by Jennifer Dorman for the "7 Things Meme" so here goes...... What is the focus of this meme?

Participants in the online community affectionately known as the "Eduverse" have begun "tagging" fellow members to invite them to post a list of "7 Little-Known Facts" about themselves to their blog. On sites such as Twitter and Plurk, members of the Eduverse PLN (professional learning network or personal learning network) are reaching out to each other to go deeper than the ordinary, professional issues to reveal more personal information.

Here are the rules for this game:
• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

7 Facts about me -

1. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in 6th grade. I took all the opportunities I could to learn what it would be like to become a teacher. I worked at summer camps, playground rec programs, and coached a girls little league softball team all before graduating college. My first 3 years of teaching were very difficult and I wanted to quit, but I took a leave of absence and worked as a grad assistant while getting a Masters degree at U of Mass. I returned with a renewed sense of wonder for teaching and coaching. Here I am 33 years later.
2. I love to travel. The first two summers of my teaching career, I drove across the US visiting as many states and National Parks as possible. Back then the cost of gas was so low and we camped and saw the best part of our country. I went from watching professional volleyball in Tuscon, AZ, to French Quebec. In 2003, I took a similar trip in my mini van with my 75 year old parents and my two children. It was a 3 week journey that provided a lot of memories for all of us. After purchasing a timeshare in 1979, I have traveled to some great places with trading this property to resorts all over North America, Caribbean and England for my honeymoon.
   
3. Lifelong learning is my secret passion. I enjoy learning new things, and perhaps that is why I have loved all phases of technology; it changes so often you are always learning new things.
4. In high school I had a weekly column in our local newspaper called (don't laugh too loud) Robin's Nest! It was an editorial about events happening at our school. My biggest rant was about girls not getting varsity letters for participating in the sports program. The following year, you guessed it, girls received varsity letters and I was awarded the very first varsity letter for field hockey.
5. My favorite moments of my life have been getting accepted at West Chester University, my wedding day (even though we are not together anymore), the birth of my two children, and taking them to England for a family wedding, and our recent cruise to the Caribbean with my parents and children.
   
6. As part of my Master's program at UMass in 1978, I had some fantastic opportunities; starting the womens volleyball team at Amherst College, coaching at UMass, creating the first women's television sports program in New England with the Springfield College vs. UMass women's gymnastics teams. My internship was with the Salt Lake City Stingers Pro Volleyball Team. The opportunity to live in that city for four months was wonderful and I learned a lot about different parts of the country, including the fact that you visit the Salt Lake and don't get in much past your ankles!
   
7. My generation of our family is the last of the thoroughbreds from Scottish immigrants. All four of our grandparents came to this country from Scotland. My mother's sister even married a Scottish fellow as did my father's brother marry a Scottish woman. I have never been there, but it is definitely on my list of "must go to" places.

Wow I have not thought about some of those things for many many years!! What a trip to the way back machine that was. OK I am passing along the invitation to: Meg Basilio, Christina Brunschwyler, Ken Shelton, Jen Kraft, Jackie Blackman, and Jim Beeghley.

Don't forget to add yourselves to the 7 Things Wiki once you post.