About the Teacher



I am a lifelong Connecticut resident, having grown up in Madison. I have two great kids, Becky, 22, who graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and is looking to become a Broadway actress/singer, and Lily, 10, a fifth grader at Fawn Hollow School. Becky works for the Spirit of New York Cruise line where she is a singing waitress. If you're ever looking for a great night out in Manhattan, check out Spirit! Some of you also may know Lily from soccer or dance classes in town. We also have 3 dogs, Moose, Brady, and Sophie. Our big dog Moose is a Newfoundland/Bernese Mountain dog mix and weighs 175 lbs!  Owning 3 dogs as well as being the mom of a young adult and young school age child, a full time teacher, and writer (more on that later) certainly keeps me busy!
These are my girls, Lily and Becky
I have been teaching for about 25 years with some time off to adopt and raise my children.  I have been teaching at Stepney for 6 years.  I began teaching kindergarten and reading, and for the past two years have taught third grade. I have also taught 3rd grade at Fawn Hollow, first grade in Shelton, and first grade and full day dual language kindergarten in New Haven.  I have a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master's degree in Advanced Classroom Teaching with a concentration in early literacy.
In addition to teaching, I write a monthly column for a blog called The Teacher's Lounge for Really Good Stuff, the educational supply company (you can find it at http://blog.reallygoodstuff.com/). If you type my name into the search engine, you can take a peek at some of my articles. I am also fortunate to work as a freelance writer in the product development department for Really Good Stuff where I write activity guides to accompany the company's awesome original products. Needless to say, our classroom is full of "really good stuff" both literally and figuratively!

I love to travel and have been to most states in the US (I drove across country one summer) and traveled abroad to the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe and Southeast Asia (my children are from the Philippines and Thailand respectively). I also absolutely love Thai & Filipino food, musical theater, yoga/meditation, and spending time with my family and dogs.

As an avid reader and writer myself, I can assure you that we will be spending a lot of time in class really delving into some great literature. That means reading, talking, and writing about books of all different genres. And, hopefully, we'll have a whole lot of fun doing it all!

Fast Facts About Mrs. Cushing:
  • Favorite Color: Green
  • Favorite Number: 5
  • Favorite Foods: Larb (a Thai dish), salmon, pizza, sushi, pancit and lechon kawali (both Filipino dishes), cucumbers, and Mexican.
  • Favorite Drinks: Calamansi juice (a DELICIOUS Filipino juice that tastes sort of like lemonade only WAY better)
  • Favorite TV Shows: Modern Family, Once Upon a Time, baseball and football
  • Favorite Sport: Baseball (I LOVE the Redsox)
  • Favorite Athletes: David Ortiz, Tom Brady, and Paul Pierce
  • Favorite Subjects to Teach: Reading and Writing
  • Favorite Authors: Kate DiCamillo, Roald Dahl, Kevin Henkes, Patricia Polacco, Cynthia Rylant, J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Favorite Animals: Dogs, Cheetahs, Pandas
  • Favorite Season: Fall
  • Favorite City: Boston and London
  • Favorite Candy: Dark chocolate, Flakes and Yorkie Bars (they're from England)
  • Birthday: August 26 (This year I get to spend my birthday with you guys on the first day of school!)
  • Favorite Places to Visit: Thailand, Philippines, England, Vermont
  • Educational Philosophy: Ensuring that every child in my classroom feels smart and successful! I think every child should have at least one "Mr. Slinger" or "Mr. Falker" in his/her life (you have to read Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes and Dear Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco to understand what I mean by this).
  • Other things to know about me:
    • I think The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo is the best book ever written (we'll be reading it in class very soon).
    • Fenway Park on a warm summer evening is my favorite place to be in the whole world.
    • I cry when I read books that touch my heart.
    • Most of the books I will read aloud to you in class touch my heart (you'll get used to it; the crying, that is).
    • I'm afraid of roller coasters and other amusement park rides, spiders, and snakes.
    • I have 2 brothers and 1 sister; I am the oldest in my family.
    • On warm summer evenings at dusk I love to lie on my back on our trampoline with my daughter, Lily, and count all the bats that fly over our heads.
    • I love listening to my daughter, Becky, sing.  I'm going to make you to listen to at least one of her YouTube videos at some point this year!  
    • Speaking of singing, when it's your birthday, I will serenade you with my own special version of Happy Birthday.  It's pretty bad, but I promise you will never forget it
    • I absolutely love 3rd graders!
Brady
Sophie
Moose


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