A Formal Introduction

While I have had this blog running for a few months now, I have never formally introduced myself, aside from the information in the "About Me" section and what you could muster about me in my blog posts.  So, let me tell you a little more about me:

My name is Laura Wood, and I currently live in Warren, PA and teach at Bradford Area High School; however, I will only be teaching there for two more weeks, as my husband's job has relocated us to the Hermitage/Grove City area.  We just closed on a new home in Cortland, OH yesterday, as a matter for fact! The very act of resigning from my job was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life thus far; I loved my job and district, despite the many annoyances (most of which are with public education in general).  January 20th is my last day as a Sophomore English and AP Language & Composition teacher at Bradford Area High School, and as of January 24th, I will officially live in Ohio (very close to the PA border).  Please bare with me, everyone, as this will be an emotional time for me.  The thought of not seeing young people every day, interacting with them, teaching just tears me apart inside.  I hope and I pray that I land another teaching job in the near future...or even again (yes, I realize that is me being dramatic!).

To back up a little bit, I started off as an English major at Penn State in 2004 and graduated from that University in 2007 with a B.A. in English.  I then moved back home to the Pittsburgh area and enrolled in the PY program for English Education so that I could become certified to teach English.  Much to my surprise, I got hired immediately at Bradford High, which was great because my then boyfriend, now husband, had just gotten a job near Bradford.  Everything was bliss, fate even.  I have been teaching at Bradford Area High School for over four years, and throughout my time as a teacher there, I rewrote the Sophomore English curriculum and created and implemented a new AP course for my school district, AP Language & Composition (as well as direct a few school plays and participate in other various extra curricular activities).  Creating that new course was one of the most challenging tasks I endured, but it was all so worth it.  I am so proud of my students and myself for what we have accomplished in the two and a half years I have taught that class.  I am also proud to say that my students score above the national average overall on the AP exam, especially in writing.  My AP students and I become a tight-knit family that really pushes and supports each other to succeed and be/do better, which is why we have done so well in the past.  I will truly miss that baby I birthed at Bradford High!  I just hope that I can deliver a new AP baby at another school district some day.  

I had always wanted to obtain my MEd in English Education, but getting hired as an English teacher right away and then creating a new course at my school district stunted that plan.  I rarely had "me" time, and I'm the kind of student that must give 110%.  It was not until this fall that I felt like I could pick up and finish my MEd.  I will officially have my MEd this summer- yay!  I love setting and accomplishing goals; it feels so good!  Since I no longer live in Pittsburgh, I will be completing my MEd online, which has been a pleasant experience thus far.  I like being able to complete each weekly module at my own time and at my own pace, instead of meeting at a specific time each week.  And the dialogue between students is still as rich as what you would find in a real-life classroom.  All it takes to create a fruitful discussion are people who care, both professors and students, about being life-long learners.

I value being a life-long learner.  Even after I finish my MEd, I will not be done with school.  Well, being a teacher means you sign up for a life of life-long learning because you must continuously master content.  But, aside from that my future plans my include obtaining another masters or my PhD, or maybe I will just take classes here and there or educate myself.  I just really value learning.  And because I value learning so much, I read- a lot- and I love to travel.  

I also value the small things in life.  I am your stereotypical girl that loves fashion: jewelry, shoes, clothes, handbags.  It kind of drives my husband nuts.  He sees me online shopping often.  When I moved from Pittsburgh to Warren, PA, shopping at malls immediately stopped because there just weren't any malls in Warren, PA.  If I wanted to shop, I had to drive over an hour to Erie or Buffalo.  That just wasn't always practical.  As a result, I became a really good online shopper.  Seriously.  I often wonder if I could make it as a personal shopper.  Don't worry, people, there is much more to me than just shopping!  I also enjoy many outdoor activities- hiking, biking, kayaking- because staying physically fit is very important to me.  My husband and I also love to renovate our home; and since we just bought a new one, that means we have a whole slew of new projects to complete!  We envision completely remodeling the deck and kitchen, putting in new floors, adding crown molding, etc.  We also love gardening together.  My husband's parents were a golf course Superintendent and Master Gardner, so we've picked up those skills from them.  I can't wait to redesign the interior and exterior of our new home.  

While my husband and I do not have any children yet- we're hoping to be blessed with them some day; it just hasn't happened for us yet- we do have two cats that we absolutely adore and view as our children.  Levi is a male ginger, and Abby is a female calico.  You will see Levi as my profile picture.  He is SO photogenic!  I feel bad that most of my pictures consist of Levi and not Abby.  Abby moves too much and just doesn't like to pose for the camera.  Despite that, she is such a sweet cat. I mean it.  She doesn't have a mean bone on her body!  To catch a bug, she will calmly lift her paw and gently place it on top of the bug, not even killing it.  And she doesn't catch mice either; she plays with them...like hide-and-go-seek kind of playing!  Our cats are special creatures.  My husband has taught Levi to sing with him and say Mama.  We both grew up with dogs, and we never thought we would love our cats as much as we love dogs.  Our cats make it easy though, because they are so personable, and, quite frankly, they act like dogs!  They always greet us when we get home, they come when called, and they follow us are incessantly.  Needless to say, those two cats are the apple of our eyes!

I'm sure you have gained some insight about me from my previous post, and I'm sure you have an even better idea of who I am now.  I will continue to share more about me and how I feel with each new blog post.  Enjoy! :)