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BIO



Who Am I? Who is Bobbi Elaine? 

The mind from out of which this blog comes:  I am a full-time high school English teacher at a one-to-one laptop school.  Read more of my story here. I have recently had to learn all manners of things, such as how to use my mac and how to go paperless.  I have learned how to create online course content and teach hybrid classes, partially online, always face-to-face.  I teach AP English, and I pride myself on my ability to teach students to write.  I am a defunct doctoral student, languishing in ABD land.  I am also learning to skydive.


I love writing. Poetry is a passion. I am working on a novel. Reading is my favorite thing to do, bar none! I read at stoplights, in the bathtub, even at dinner, when I can get away with it.

I have 2 children, Gavin (15) and Nadia (13). In August (one week apart) they will age and be one year older. It is strange how truly fast they grow up. My daughter has cystic fibrosis and we do what we can to raise awareness and money for life-saving research. Having a terminally ill child has made me look at life differently. I have always planned for the future but now I must live in the present. I’ll miss out on so much (and get an ulcer) if I worry about what the future holds for us. I just treasure each of her smiles and temper tantrums. My son….he is the best anyone could ask for. He just told me that mother’s day is everyday and that he loves giving me presents. So far I have gotten one rock (I am assured that it is beautiful) and two colored pictures. These kids of mine…..they certainly help keep me grounded and happy. 

I am very interested in studying reading, specifically researching how to help disabled high school readers, including those who are ELL.   My other research interests include resiliency, mentoring and induction programs in education, the NC teacher evaluation process, and "new literacies"--technology and 21st century skills as well as research(ed) poetry, poetic inquiry,  writing circles, ethic of care, and teacher lore.

My published book of poetry, Herself:  Pieces of Me is available on Google books.  Click the title for a preview.

 Read a poem I wrote on a writer's retreat about who I am at my poetry blog, Faulkner Poetry.  The poem is entitled "Praise Be."  




I lived and taught in Mexico.  It was amazing.  Here is a picture of me sitting in the ruins of a Mayan calendar.  I was in Dzibilchaltun, and you should read more about this glorious place.  Living and teaching in Mexico (4th grade) was such an enriching experience for me.  I spend my spare time now hiking on the Appalachian Trail, rock climbing, rappelling, rock hunting, skydiving and writing.

My memoir about my sister (who died in 1997 when I was 17 and she was 13) and my daughter can be found in my product of learning at Appalachian, from my masters program.  I feel that this writing really explains how my daughter's illness has changed me, mostly for the better.  The other artifacts on my product of learning site show my teaching style and how the masters program helped shape me. 

 As part of my EdS (with a concentration in teaching reading), I worked on a very interesting research project with Dr. Koppenhaver.  It is still in it's infancy here,  though we are hoping to shape it into something publishable.  This project was my first wiki.  My second wiki is about global awareness and can be found here.

Visuals of Bobbi Elaine, the woman behind Out of Her Mind. 


decorated door, Appalachian State University
The door of my classroom during College Application Week.  I am proud to be a Mountaineer.
A Proud moment: International Reading Association's Member of the Month, October 2012

I was interviewed in 2012 by the IRA (International Reading Association; I am not an armed militant).  Read that interview here.
Nadia and I, late 2014

Me Visiting My Old College Town, Boone, NC
My daughter, Nadia Denise, 2014, Age 9




My son, Gavin, age 15. He just made all-state band for french horn!

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