I am what I am. I am a 24 year old college graduate with one year put into the workforce. I grew up in Appleton, WI and went to college in Eau Claire, WI. There’s a big difference between those two towns and the metropolis I live in now. I’m learning to live on the highways and only shop at Target. I’m like Mary Tyler Moore with Veronica Lake’s hair and a Joan Crawford temper. I am what I am. My mother is a Czechoslovakian social worker who laughs as much as she cries. My father is Irish and logical, but has more freckles than sand on the beach. I am what I am. Scotty is the man I’m going to marry (NOT Scot, that wasn’t his name until he became an “adult”). I met him when I was fourteen riding the city bus home and he told me I was pretty. We were dating a week later and were dating ever since. Nine years might seem like a long time but when two weirdos meet something seems to stick.
I am what I am. I love to read, bike, and take long walks (NOT on the beach- I live in the Midwest for God’s sake). I play volleyball but am too short to play any position except back row. I am a trekkie who reads Sherlock Holmes and likes to wear Polka Dots. I have a lot of energy. My doctors thought I had A.D.H.D. as a child but my parents called me “spirited.” I am fiercely loyal to those I love and compassionate towards all people. But when I’m mad, I’m really mad. I am what I am. I hate sleeping in because it makes me feel like I’ve lost time that I can never get back. And I just don’t enjoy sleeping. I am what I am. I don’t know how to lie and I don’t understand it. I will work until I get the job done and do it right. I am a voracious learner. The learning, however, is not exclusive to one topic. I want to learn about grammar, learn about Teddy Roosevelt, learn about how to stain my wooden table, and learn about Kim Kardashian and Kanye…what are they really like behind the scenes anyway? I am what I am.
I am what I am. I am a teacher of English, even though everyone at this school thinks I teach Spanish. I don’t. I’m LEARNING Spanish…slowly. I am what I am. I believe that everyone is equal and has the right to equal opportunities. I believe that we are more than just “literature people” or “math people” or “science people.” I believe our brain allows us to be all of these people, and more. I believe that rudeness is a weak person’s imitation of strength. I will fight for my students to the end of the world, even if they stop fighting for themselves. I believe that creativity and perseverance are stronger than laziness. I will ask you about your family, your friends, your likes and dislikes. I will also ask you why you didn’t come to school yesterday and who am I going to have to call about this. I will ask you how you are going to finish your missing work and I will ask you if you need help. I will ask you these things because I am a teacher who cares about you.
I am what I am. I am your guide to English, your advocate and your cheerleader. I don’t have pom poms yet but that doesn’t mean I won’t buy them to embarrass you.
–Carly Cody
ESL Teacher
