Dear Class,

    Congratulations on becoming seniors at last!  My name is Caroline Hopper and this year I'll be working with you and Ms. Nicolls as I study to become a high school English teacher.  I look forward to getting to know you and learning a lot together about language, literature and life. 

    I'll start by telling you a little about myself, and hopefully will discover more about each of you as time goes by.  Originally I'm from Riverside, California, where I grew up.  After graduating from high school in 2000, I went on to get a BA in English and Italian literature from Stanford University.  Now I'm studying to get my credential and MA in Education from UC Davis, so I'll be taking classes myself when I'm not teaching.

   There are just 4 people in my family:  my parents, who live in Riverside, CA with our dog Diego, and my older sister who lives in Boston.  She's following in my dad's footsteps as a first-year doctor there, so we're both excited about starting a new chapter in our careers.  My mom teaches special education in an elementary school in southern California. Seeing her in her classroom, I always admired the way she was able to help students learn in creative ways that really worked.  She's been a big inspiration as I start my own teaching.

    Though I'm pretty new to this in California, I do have some experience in other countries.  This past April I returned home after spending two years in Japan.  I lived and worked in Nagoya- a fairly large city in central Japan- teaching English to Japanese Jr. High school students.  At first, living there was a little overwhelming.  I didn't know many people and was pretty unfamiliar with the culture.  On top of that I couldn't read, write or speak much at all. It was a real eye-opener about how some people must feel coming to this country, especially from places where very little English is spoken.  People in Japan were very welcoming and helpful to me, though, and eventually I really grew to love life there- even the sushi!  In some ways it still seems more like home than California.

    I also worked in Italy a few years ago, where I was fortunate enough to land a job on an Italian cruise ship.  I taught English to the ship staff for three months while we sailed around southern Italy and Greece.  It sure beat your average office setting! Even so, life on board wasn't always easy, especially for the crew. The workers I taught there were often treated unfairly by bith managemnet and customers.  I couldn't have stayed forever, but at the time it was a great way to see some awe-inspiring places and meet new people from all over the world. 

    As you can see, I love to travel.  I encourage you all to do the same whenever you can- ideally before you get too settled in one area.  It's one of the best ways, in my opinion, to learn about the world and your place in it.  That said, it's nice to be home again too.  I'm pretty new to the Sacramento area, but so far I like it.  In my free time I enjoy reading, writing, listening to music and spending time outdoors.  In high school I ran cross country, and have tried to keep running since then.  In October I'm registered for a half-marathon ...so wish me luck, because I'll need it! I like TV and movies too- mostly comedy because I love to laugh, but I'm open to just about anything from sci-fi to indie films to horror (I confess I close my eyes through most of those.) Last week I played a Nintendo wii for the first time and am now officially addicted.  I'm interested in computers and technology, and probably spend too much time on the internet.  The upside to that is that I can nearly always be reached quickly over email.  Write me, and I will do my best to give you a fast response and answer any questions you may have.

I'd really like to talk with you in person to share more and hear about your own experiences.  This is an exciting time for you as you finish high school and start thinking towards future plans. It is my hope that we can help and learn from each other this year, and also enjoy the process.  Lastly and most importantly, I thank you for sharing your classroom, thoughts and lives with me.

All the best,

Ms. Hopper