Welcome to My Blog

I have always found that the stuff that happens in my life and in my classroom is rather interesting, and the stories I share when I go out to dinner with my friends often lead to dropped jaws, so I thought, "Hey, I should start a blog about it!" And so I have...

I am a full-time high school teacher at a charter school in the L.A. area. I teach 5 classes of English, one class of theater arts, and one class we call advisory, which is basically a class about helping these teenagers survive and thrive in high school. I absolutely love my job, and I know it is what God created me to do. Nowhere have I found more satisfaction in life than I do in teaching these wonderful kids!

I am also a mom. I have a precious three-year old son named Vinny. He is the light of my life. Although I love my job, I have to admit there are times I just live for weekends and breaks which I get to spend with Vinny. He is incredibly clever and delightfully entertaining.

I have titled my blog "140 kids" because in any given semester I have about 140 students on my roster, and in many ways I feel like they are all "my kids." There is something about the bond between a teacher and her students. It is not exactly like parenthood, but there are many similarities. I have caught myself many times saying something along the lines of "One of my kids ________" or "Oh yeah, my kids really like that..." It's hard not to refer to them as "mine." Sometimes, I think that this is an unfair comparison for me to make, because far more work goes into parenting than goes into teaching. When you are a parent, you get the good, bad, and the ugly, and there is no office to send them down to when things get really bad; however, you really can't be a great teacher unless you care about them as individuals and take some personal responsibility for their learning and overall well-being. In that way, yes, they are all my kids.

In short, I teach 140 mostly minority students in a high-poverty school, while also trying to be a good wife and mom. If you think this will be interesting to read about, then please, follow my blog! I promise never to sell out to shameless product endorsements for money.