I have been an educator for over 30 years---wow, that's hard to believe! I began as a substitute teacher in Cabell county right after graduation in December '83, and received a full-time position in special education the following August. I stayed in Cabell county for 5 years, and then moved to southern California. I worked in Pasadena schools for 5 years before a family illness (and the Northridge earthquake!) sent me home to West Virginia in 1994. Once there, I worked as a childbirth educator, an early childhood interventionist for the WV School for the Blind (and also trained other interventionists), and one year as a lead teacher in an inclusive Head Start classroom. Eventually, I was hired as a classroom teacher for the Scioto County Board of MRDD in Portsmouth, Ohio. I worked there for 10 years before returning to Cabell County schools. I am currently a 6th grade science teacher at Huntington Middle School here in Huntington, WV. I love teaching science and I love 6th grade. I never want to leave HMS or change positions again (okay, truthfully I want to retire from this position in 8-10 years.)