Occupation: I am a teacher for the Ridgefield Public Schools. This is my 29th year as an educator. Currently, I am teaching third grade but have also taught first and second.

Family: I am married to my dear Kiwi, Peter Andrew. In fact, we just celebrated our 20th anniversary. Together we have a son, Gregory, who is 16 and a junior at Newtown High School. He is smart, kind, and makes us laugh every day.

Pets: We have two parakeets, Fancy and Frosting. My husband wishes we had cats. LOTS of cats. He adores them, but Greg and I are sadly allergic to pretty much all adorable furry creatures.

How long have you lived in Newtown? I have lived in Newtown for over 25 years.

What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time I enjoy knitting. I thrive on going “junking” with my best friend and searching for vintage items. Together, my husband and I enjoy working on wooden jigsaw puzzles and recently have dabbled in building and furnishing dollhouses.

What is your favorite book? I do love the classics, but when I’m stressed, tired, and need some soul comfort food, I turn to my old, yellowed novels by Victoria Holt. I put on my slippers, cuddle up with a massive cup of English Breakfast tea, and lose myself in France, painting restoration, and a handsome Comte with a mysterious past in Holt’s The King of The Castle. Bliss.

What is your favorite travel destination? For my 50th birthday, my husband took us to Paris. Sipping a gorgeous wine under the shadow of Notre Dame was spectacular. We would go back to France in a heartbeat.

What is the best part about Newtown? I must give a tip of the hat to our Newtown Public Schools and especially the music programs. Our son, Gregory, is a singer and we have always been impressed with the quality of music education in our school system. Thank you, Mrs Jones, Mrs Tenenbaum, Mr Pope, and Mrs Matson for doing an excellent job teaching Newtown’s young singers.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? I’d chose a student I had in my second-grade class four years ago. A precious student, Brooke, who midyear was diagnosed with DIPG, a rare brain cancer. As time passed, she became a fierce warrior, powerful, smiling, eager to laugh even if it might hurt. Brooke earned her wings this June and is missed madly. I would spend my day with her. We would get in the car and talk, laugh, and sing with the radio like we used to. I would drive her right to her family, give her a huge hug, and watch her walk inside to spend the day with them.

Who is your favorite musical artist? As a child, I remember sitting in the back of my grandparents’ car as they’d listen to the likes of Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Perry Como. I would so wish they would turn the station to something real. Now, I find myself gravitating to their music. This summer, after a day of gardening, my son came to me and said, “Do you know how loud you had Ella Fitzgerald playing outside?”

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? “Listen to what people say but watch what they do. That will show their mettle and the truth of who they are.”

What is something you cannot live without? I can’t live without a good cup of English Breakfast tea and my Victorinox Swiss Card. Think of a Swiss Army Knife but in the shape of a credit card that you can slip in your wallet.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Being a teacher is my proudest accomplishment. Being stopped on the street, receiving an e-mail or a card to be told that you helped a person become a successful adult is precious. Once upon a time, my first year teaching in Connecticut, I had a student. A sweet little blonde tot who sucked her thumb and wore a “topsy tail.” Her mother took the time to share with me that her daughter, all grown up, just wrote a feature article for Newsweek magazine. I taught her to read.