NAME:
Kathleen Benedick
SCHOOL:
Relay Elementary
CLASS:
5th grade Math, Science & Social Studies
SCHOOL PHONE:
410-887-1426
Born the second child of seven, at Garfield Memorial Hospital in Washington,
DC back in 19xx, I grew up with three brothers and three sisters in Prince
George's County and Montgomery County, Maryland. For a brief time, I lived in
Northern Virginia as a young adult, wife, and new mother. We relocated to
Baltimore in 1977.
Although I did put in some years at Blue Cross and Blue Shield when I first
left school and then spent time as an at-home mom raising my four children,
I have always wanted to be a teacher. If you ever have a conversation
with me, you will probably find out more about my children and my five and a
half grandchildren, although I try not to run on about their precociousness
and athleticism and brilliance once I see your eyes glaze over!
My career began with teaching fifth grade at Edmondson Heights ES. For the
past fourteen of my twenty years' teaching experience, I have been right
here at Relay Elementary and lovin' it! My degree is in Elementary Education
from Towson State University, and my master's degree is in Math & Science
Education from The Johns Hopkins University. My coursework qualifies me for
an elementary ed (grades 1-8) advanced professional certificate with
endorsements to teach Math and Science on the secondary level.
I LOVE to read, and in fact, I always have a book in my bag and my car...you
never know when you might have a few minutes. My favorite place to be, other
than anywhere with my family, is the ocean, and my favorite foods are all
seafood dishes -- except the cheesecake, which sadly does not make the Weight
Watchers points cut! Green is my favorite color but violet comes in a very
close second. I do love color, but cannot stand the combination of purple and
orange together; it makes me feel queasy. I have enjoyed sewing, quilt-
making, and needle crafts like counted cross stitch and crochet forever, and
have added researching my family's heritage and scrapbooking to my hobbies.
So, to be happy as that pig in clover, I just need to be sitting on a beach
in a purple and green chair and relaxing after riding the waves, with my Diet
Coke or peach iced tea, some seafood appetizers, and needlework while I watch
the younger ones play in the surf and chat with my own!!!
Back in good ol' 19xx, there were no computers. There were no calculators
even! No space shuttles or International Space Stations. No iPods, no cell
phones or PDAs, no DVDs or CDs (We called them LPs. 45s and 8 tracks ;-) I
have no idea how we managed! So much has developed that it is not possible
to foresee what will be out there when my students are ready to take on the
world.
So, my mission is to help my students prepare for whatever their
imaginations can conceive, to develop their love of learning so that they
can fulfill the vast potential inside each of them. To that end, I will
strive to be sure all students can read and write and work with numbers
effectively and efficiently. In this happy endeavor, I look forward to
sharing with my students and their parents, crafting engaging lessons, and
nurturing the creativity and curiosity of my students.