All About Ms. Waddell

As I can't wait to get to know each of you better, I thought you might like to know a little bit about me! This is my 9th year of teaching, and I'm returning to Ford for my second year teaching 4th grade. Most recently, I taught 2nd grade in Paulding County at Baggett Elementary, but before that I spent 5 years in Smyrna at Nickajack Elementary, working some of that time for our own Mrs. Peggy Pepper! In my spare time I enjoy riding bikes with my family on the Silver Comet Trail, scrapbooking, reading, and movies. We have three pets at home, our black cat, Kitty, our black kitten, Buddy, and our dwarf hamster, Humphrey. (who will soon join our class) I am a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and I get back there whenever I can to visit my family. I have lived in 5 states in my life, but Georgia has been home for the past 12 years. I spent all of my college years in California. That means I actually got to see Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco play on the same team together, and I was there for the "Big One," the major earthquake of 1989. I spent my first year after high school in an art college, but then transferred to the University of California, Davis to complete my degrees. I actually had a whole other career before I began teaching - in the computer field, but I returned to education when my daughter Haley was born in 2000. I have been married since 1998 to my own southern hero, my husband Joey. He is a firefighter for Dekalb County Engine 15, and one of the few people around here actually born and bred in Marietta. We are both the babies of 3 children, so are used to getitng our way! Together we like to work out at the Y together, or jog on the Silver Comet. We spent most of our summer in the pool, and didn't take any major vacations this year, but I did attend my 20th high school reunion back in O-hi-o. I can't wait to hear what you all did this summer!