I tell everyone that I love my job, and I truly do. Saint Michael School is simply a great place to be. I work with amazing, dedicated people; teach fascinating and delightful students; and have gotten to know many caring and generous parents since I began teaching here in 1992. In fact, the hardest part of my job is always graduation. I have taught many of the students for nine years and miss them dearly each year when they leave.

The students at Saint Michael School are so fortunate to attend a school that values technology. Countless schools have labs with old computers, many of which do not work or are incredibly outdated. Here the lab is filled with Dell computers and the administration has been able to upgrade the lab every five or six years. We have so much to offer our students.

I am the computer teacher who instructs all the students from Kindergarten through the eighth grade. In the lab, the students learn to respect and properly use computers. When our students graduate they know how to write and format a Word document, do an Excel spreadsheet, create an interesting Power Point presentation, and most importantly, how to save, retrieve and organize their documents on a computer.

In an effort to make learning a positive experience, we play several educational games in the computer lab. Students often hate to practice multiplication, but will do it all day if they get to blast an alien enemy after they solve the problems in Math Blaster, one of their favorite programs. With a simple program like Kid Pix students learn how to draw, save information and even do a little animation. The younger students practice reading and math skills with Bailey and Trudy.

To be honest, I never expected to teach. I attended Merrimack College where I majored in math and took every computer class that was offered. Back then a computer took up a whole room, and we were writing programs in Fortran and punching holes in cards so the computer could read the program. To earn money for college, I substituted in several schools and tutored whenever I could. Teaching was the hardest job I ever had, so I decided that anyone who wanted to be a teacher must be crazy.

I worked in industry writing computer programs, and then owned and operated several small businesses with my husband. It was only later in life that I learned to love education and wanted to teach. After working in industry and owning my own business, I can say, with some authority, that teaching is the hardest job I have ever had, but it is definitely the most rewarding.

When my children were young, I volunteered in the schools and taught as a substitute often. I was the PTO treasurer for six years and at one time or another chaired every major fundraiser the PTO sponsored. I was on the School Council and Technology Committee for many years. Later, I was elected to the Tyngsboro School Committee and served for 2 terms. During that time, I was Chairperson twice and served on many subcommittees. As a member of the Tyngsboro School Building Committee, I also helped oversee the building of the new high school. Each of these experiences was a tremendous learning experience.

Over the years, my husband and I were very involved with the Nashua Actorsingers as well. He performed on stage and directed many of their adult productions, and I worked backstage in many capacities. My favorite job was costume director, but I have also been producer, stage manager, subscription chairman and many other roles. I directed many Actorsingers children shows and served on the Board of Directors for four years. I have since also directed several plays here at Saint Michael.

My husband and I raised three wonderful sons, and I now have four beautiful grandchildren as well. My family and friends are of the utmost importance in my life, as is my remarkable family here at Saint Michael School.