Teacher Week 2015: 5 Fun Facts About Me

I am excited to be linking up with my friends over at Blog Hoppin’ with five fun facts about me!

I feel you would already know a lot about me if you follow me on Instagram at EricaBohrer.  I am pretty much an open book!  

Fact 1:  

I don’t have a traditional teaching degree!  My undergraduate degree is in Literature and Rhetoric from SUNY Binghamton.   I loved reading in college, especially British Literature.   I am a big Jane Austen fan.  After college, I could not find a job with my degree, so I went to Dowling College for a Masters in Education.  I am certified to teach Secondary English and K-6 Elementary.  

Fact 2:

My last name is pronounced Bor-er.  My dad’s family is of German-Swiss descent and came to America in the 1800s.  My mother is 100% Italian.  We have a lot of great Italian customs in my family.  For example, Christmas Eve is a bigger deal than Christmas Day.  We have fish and pasta and the whole family comes over to my parents’ house.  We also open gifts then.   Whenever we have gatherings or events there is always a ton of food.  The biggest horror would be to run out of food.  It also might be a NY thing.  You should see weddings here, insane amounts of food.  

Fact 3:

This is not a fun fact but something I don’t usually share.  I was severely bullied as a child.  I was a tiny quiet thing and an easy target.  I was bullied in Kindergarten and Second grade by this girl who would pinch me and kick me when the teachers were not looking.  I was terrified to go to school.  Then my adult teeth came in around third grade.  They were bucked with a big space between them.  So from third grade until probably 7th grade, I was tormented and made fun of.  I remember this boy that everyone else picked on for being overweight would torment me the most.  I think he wanted to take the focus off himself.  Of course, I never made fun of him because I knew it was not nice.  I remember always fighting back tears.  I could not let him see me cry. Why I don’t know.   I remember the burning feeling in my face and me hoping that my tears were not showing.  It would feel like the hot tears were running down the inside of my cheeks.  I would do a quick brush of my cheek to make sure the tears weren’t showing on the outside.  I would not wish that feeling on anyone.  I was shy to begin with and became even more shy as I avoided talking or smiling.  If I did not talk or smile, people would not see my teeth.  It took me many years and braces to recover from the bullying.  As a teacher, I try to listen to what kids are saying and not let what happened to me happen to them.  I also teach kindness and compassion. I did hear from the Kindergarten girl who used to bully me.  She sent me a message on FB apologizing.  She said she must have been jealous of me.  I always had my hair done with pretty ribbons and braids and wore pretty clothes.  She was one of six or so kids and I don’t think she got a lot of attention at home.  It meant a lot to me that she took the time to apologize.  

Fact 4:

I love antiques or vintage things.  I love to go to estate sales!   I have learned you have to go early or you miss the good stuff.  I even look through FB groups for cool finds for sale. 

Fact 5:

If I like something, I buy it in most of the other colors they have (except purple – I just don’t like purple clothes).  Case in point, the Banana Republic dress above.  On the left it is in navy blue and on the right in red.  The hair color difference is because I wore them almost a year apart.  I love shopping and I love when I find things that fit me well.  I am petite but sometimes the petite dresses are too short on me.  When I find something that fits, I get a little overzealous! 

PS- On the left is THE Paul Edelman, found of TpT!  On the right is my sweet friend, Krista Wallden of Creative Clips.  I seriously don’t even know why I stood next to her for a picture.  LOL, she looks like a model! 

I hope you go over to Blog Hoppin’ and check out all the linkys we have in store for you!