Because we moved around so much those 1st couple of years of my schooling, I did not learn to read well. I remember reading for my new 1st grade teacher in El Monte so she could place me in a reading group & she told the other teacher (loud enough that I could hear her) that I couldn’t read very well & I should be placed in the lowest reading group. Honestly? Who says that so I child could hear? I learned at an early age that I wasn’t a “good reader” & I never tried to be anything different. I hated to read orally in class & I NEVER read my assignments – why bother, after all…I wasn’t a very good reader! This obviously affected how I learned. I’m extremely visual & auditory. (I'm proud to say that I eventually became an avid reader!)
HIGH SCHOOL – I LOVED high school ! (I hated homework & studying, but I loved everything else about high school.) Having 3 older brothers was both a blessing & a handicap - A blessing because my brothers were popular athletes & because of that, I was popular because I was their little sister. They also had some really CUTE friends! A handicap because all those cute friends were either afraid to ask me out because my brothers were too protective or they all treated me like a little sister so I didn’t date much in high school. I loved being a cheerleader & being involved in high school sports. I loved the social life because I was popular & knew a lot of people from other schools, too.
COLLEGE – I went to many different colleges. Life’s circumstances interrupted my college education many times. I started at Bakersfield Junior College in Bakersfield, CA in 1973; transferred to Brigham Young University in Provo, UT in 1974; ended up getting kicked out for academic suspension; attended a BYU Survival course for one month in order to gain re-admission; ended up staying home at BC another year going to school part time & working part time; went back to BYU in 1976 where I met & married Jeff Carter in 1977. Since all I ever really wanted to do was be a wife & a mother, I dropped out of school until it appeared that I would need to help support our family – I returned to college at Memphis State University in Memphis, TN in 1987. After Jeff’s death, I moved back to California where I attended California State University in Bakersfield, CA in 1990. My education was interrupted again when I met & married Paul Middleton in 1992. Having transferred so many times, I had way more credits than I needed to graduate but not the right ones to actually count towards a degree, but I returned to San Jose State University full time in 1994 because it was important to me to finish what I started. I graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies 20 years after I graduated from high school! I began teaching full time that fall at Carson Elementary School while taking credential courses part time. I finally earned my Clear CLAD Multiple Subject teaching credential in 1999.
FAVORITE SUBJECT – Well, it’s already been established that I didn’t like reading, but I loved history (except for all the reading that went along with it, I loved “stories” about history. I have always loved PE & team sports so I decided to become a PE Teacher after high school…later, when most schools cut PE because of funding, I decided to go into elementary education, with American Studies was my emphasis. I really liked music & the arts & was pretty good at these. I also LOVED French! I took French in 7th & 8th grade, 3 years in high school, & 4 semesters in college. At one time I could read & understand it pretty good, but if you don’t use it, you lose it.
FAVORITE TEACHERS - I have several favorite teachers; Marcia Luke (2nd grade), Ralph “Rocky” Bigler (7th grade), Eva Amundsen (8th grade), & Linda Smeltzer. Miss Luke was beautiful & kind. She made me feel special & she spent extra time with me to help me “get caught up.” She was also a BYU graduate. The principal of Norris (Irwin C Waite) was a Mormon & he hired a lot of BYU graduates, many of my teachers were LDS. Mr. Bigler (also a Mormon) was very patriotic & told great stories about history. He would get emotional when he talked about “the sacrifices others made” for our freedoms & his spirit touched my heart & helped me to appreciate & develop my own patriotism. Mrs. Amundsen (also a Mormon) was my 8th grade teacher & the coach for all the teams I played on at Norris; volleyball, basketball, softball, track & field. She liked me & saw my potential. She was always positive & encouraging in everything I did. Miss Smeltzer was my high school PE teacher & Modern Dance Advisor all 4 years at North High. She was young & pretty & just way cool! She took a special interest in me & encouraged me to persue my interests. I wanted to be a PE teacher just like her! She took me to my 1st gymnastics event in Palm Springs where I actually met Cathy Rigby, an olympic gymnast.
LEAST FAVORITE TEACHERS - Some teachers that were NOT my favorites? Mr. Poulson was mean! He was my 4th grade teacher & I was afraid of him! He would slap the palms of our hands with a ruler for “everything!” He was; however, the teacher in charge of the “Dance Festival” so I had to put up with him in order to participate. I absolutely HATED my high school geometry teacher. He was so arrogant & always made fun of the cheerleaders. He was the Basketball coach & all of my brothers played for him. One day he really embarrassed me in front of the entire class & I turned to him & “swore” at him in front of everyone. He was really taken back & didn’t know what to say. I think he was afraid he’d crossed the line because he upset me so much & instead of sending me to the office, he just told me to “sit down.” He was so nice to me after that…it was like he was trying to apologize to me. That has always bothered me – I wish I had been mature enough to just let it go & understand that he was just teasing me because he liked me & my brothers. I think it really hurt him.
I LOVED SCHOOL – it was a happy & safe place for me growing up. I was very social & I loved being involved in all the activities. I loved choir, band, & sports in middle school. I continued with choir my freshman year, but moved on to cheerleading my last 3 years in high school. I was in Modern Dance all 4 years of high school & I was a competitive diver my junior year for a week, to help the swim team during SYS championships. I was actually an average student (ranking exactly in the middle of my graduating class)…this is my biggest regret, that I didn’t take academics as seriously as I should! I did just enough to get by & pass my classes – this made my college years very difficult because I didn’t develop the study habits & skills I needed to be successful. School is not about “playing” it’s about “learning” – I learned very little academically, but I had a lot of “life lessons” that are valuable to me even still today. Even mistakes & regrets are learning tools.
THE SADDEST THING that happened to me in school (or life, for that matter) was when my brother, Dickie, was killed in a car accident. It was the 1st week of school my sophomore year, Dickie’s senior year. We had our back to school rally & back to school dance & that night we were all at “Pizzaville” - the local high school hangout. Dickie drove up with his buddies & told me to get a ride home. I just rolled my eyes at him & said, “I hate you!” & turned around & walked away. I never saw him again. He and his buddies decided to drive down to Sunset Strip in Hollywood to cruise the strip…they never made it. Armond fell asleep at the wheel & hit an embankment on the freeway in Newhall. Dickie & Sonny Anderson were killed. The entire school was in mourning. It changed my life forever…it was the motivating event that prompted my personal “search for happiness.”
INSECURITIES – Like many young women, I lacked confidence in many areas. I never volunteered answers in class because I felt “stupid” (probably because I didn’t read well nor did I study enough to build confidence). I was also late to mature so I was always small & looked younger than I was – I was never comfortable with my looks; I had stringy dishwater blond hair, I was very skinny & small chested, had a bubble butt, & buck teeth. This influenced the way I acted in school & around friends. We didn’t have a lot of money, so I didn’t have a large wardrobe. Because of this, I pretty much stuck with jeans & t-shirts. I felt silly trying to wear the latest styles.
TALENTS – I was very confident with my talents. I was a good athlete & dancer. I was sure of myself with any physical activity because I knew I was above average in these areas. I choreographed most of our cheerleading routines. I could read music & sing well. Although I didn’t like solos, I loved singing in groups – harmonizing & blending with others. I could draw & paint well & I was comfortable with my creativity. I came up with good ideas for skits & rallies.
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