fromrobinsnest

Hometown: Fairburn, GA

College: George Washington University

Age: How old do I feel or how old am I actually? Both. Some days I feel 18 some days I feel 55. When I feel 18, consequences usually follow, but those days are few and far between

Occupation: 1st grade lead teacher aka mother of 25

1. Describe your job in three words. Worthwhile, overwhelming and humbling

2. What was it like transitioning from basketball to the classroom? It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. As much as I would like to say I was an outstanding basketball player, I really wasn’t. I was good at leading. That’s the same thing I have to do with my 25 students. I have to get them to invest in me, believe in me, and ultimately trust me to get them to a desired goal…just like my teammates.

3. You mean mom made me sit in the bleachers on all those Saturdays and now at 28 you’re telling the world you weren’t that good at basketball? What else did you have to do other than play with your beanie babies? And don’t act like we didn’t take some great trips because of basketball. You weren’t complaining watching from the stands of the Bahamas! True. Okay, but do you really think you weren’t good? You went to the WNBA. Doesn’t that automatically make you good? I have reflected on my basketball career a lot. I think I was good. I was smart…that made me better, but I don’t think I ever reached my full potential. Well I thought you were great! Of course you did. You don’t know the difference between a lay up and a free throw. I used to play basketball thank you very much. If you could see my face right now it would probably hurt your feelings. Moving on.

4. What’s your ideal Saturday? That depends on if I’m channeling my inner 18 year old or inner 55 year old. What if you’re I don’t know say 28? Interesting. I would wake up early because I always do no matter what. I would catch up on all of my shows that I didn’t get to watch during the week. Make a big breakfast. Take a nap-I am my mother’s child. I would throw on something that would most likely make you cringe and head to a bar with my friends. And I would be back home and in bed by 10 at the latest! You know we can’t entertain the sun and the moon no matter how much we try. Mom might be right on that one, but let’s keep trying to prove her wrong!

5. Deal. What else was mom right about? More than I would care to admit. I feel like all of her little sayings are a soundtrack to my life. You remember “The world aint round for nothin!” Yea and “If something gives you pause you probably shouldn’t do it!” I think one of the best things mom taught us was to not give excuses. Well, we gave them, but teaching us that nobody cares about your excuses. Everybody has something and it’s what you do in spite of that. Or in moms words “Hell..ok, so what you gon’ do about it?” Yea she isn’t one for excuses. She didn’t have time for all that. Still doesn’t.  

6. Would you rather be hated or forgotten? Hated. To be forgotten would be to never have mattered or impacted anyone’s life. I’m a teacher and if I don’t impact the lives of my students then I have failed. My kids love me…sometimes I tell them to love me less because they are always hanging on me, but at times they “hate” me because I push them so hard.

7. At your best you are: You tell me At your worst you are: settling At your best you are: I like your persistence. It reminds me of how annoying you were. Are. At my best I am driven.

8. Interesting you say at your worst you are settling. Do you think our generation is too caught up in having it all though? I mean why not do something. Stay with it. And be quiet? I think we want it all without working for it. There is nothing wrong with the latter if you are content with where that gets you. I think “our” (are we in the same generation?) generation wants a lot more than we are willing to work for.

9. I’ll ______if it’s the last thing I do. I feel like I either don’t like your questions because they are boring or I love the question and I don’t know the answer. Which question was boring?! Let’s not go there. At your worst you are rude. That could be true. You are biased aren’t ya? I am feeling attacked. This isn’t very professional. Okay here’s a fun question. A dinosaur walks into your classroom carrying a bucket of ice cream. What do you do? Tell my kid to take his/her pet back home or tell the dinosaur we don’t eat ice cream in the morning. I probably wouldn’t even blink.

10. In ten years you will be…crying in a dark corner listening to Drake because I’m almost 40. No, probably babysitting your kids trying to straighten them out while also watching my kids hoop in the backyard. Somewhere in there you will be shopping acting as if you are 25 and mom will be hovering over me telling some story she has told me 100,000 times. Sounds about right. Why didn’t you ask me about your pacifier? Or about the fact that you couldn’t say your R’s? Or the way you acted when you couldn’t go to prom sophomore year? I was right. At your worst you are rude. Bye Kim.