school to make photocopies, meet with parents, and immerse myself in the deliciousness of middle school humor and intellect, returning home at night to my chaotic family of three children and a small farm.
I grew up poor--no running water, cardboard on the walls, with a woodstove for heat--but thanks to my parents (who ultimately became slightly crazy. My mother is currently a homeless schizophrenic) who believed in me, I became the first person in our family to graduate from college.
After a whirlwind life of being a single teenage mother, waitress, dry cleaner worker, who lived in income subsidized housing eating food bought with food stamps, I found myself madly in love with my amazingly patient husband who decided to come on this ride of life with me.
Where did I end up? Living by the philosophy of ask for forgiveness, not permission, I became a teacher...and then the NH Teacher of the Year...and then a TED speaker...and I realized that my real loves: writing & speaking needed to be tackled. So here I am, a freelance writer who tackles issues near & dear to my heart: education, family, issues of humanity that represent us, sometimes a little social justice, and every once in a while, goats.
