March 13, 2023 by Aditi Singh (‘24)
Meet Mrs. Perry!
What do you teach?
“AP World and AP Psychology,” Mrs. Perry said. When asked which class she liked better (because one just has to ask) she replied with, “oooo! That’s a really hard one.” Although she did not pick a favorite, she did say she had a soft spot for AP World. “AP World might be my baby. I started the program a while ago and its definitely evolved for the better,” she said.
Where did you attend college? Likes? Dislikes?
Mrs. Perry went to Siena and loved her time there. In addition to Siena’s wonderful education program, Mrs. Perry said she enjoyed how “it was close enough to home where I could go home a ton, and it was also far enough away where my parents didn’t bother me all the time,” which sounds like the ideal situation for many.
Is this what you planned to be doing when you started out in college? If not, what career did you originally plan on?
Mrs. Perry started out as a history education major, but she took a brief detour in college. “My sophomore year, I had an identity crisis and switched to law for a hot moment, and then realized I missed being in the classroom and working with adolescents, so I switched back,” she said. She stuck to the education route and graduated with a major in history and a certificate in social studies education.
What are your hobbies outside of school?
“Right now, honestly, I feel like outside of school I am just Mom,” said Perry initially. She does love to read, watch a good Netflix show, and watch the Premier League with her husband, “but right now,” she said, “I’m a swim mom and a soccer mom.” Mrs. Perry enjoys historical novels, with her favorites being Pillars of Earh, Kite Runner, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. When it comes to Netflix, she enjoys psychological thrillers like Mindhunter.
What does an ideal weekend look like to you?
“I would love to go away. I love mini vacations, somewhere I can go with the family.”
Friday: Leave, go to Burlington or Mystic Connecticut.
Saturday and Sunday: Her kids love the beach, aquariums, science museums. Those types of activities are the most fun for her family. Anything travel and adventure.
“And I love Disney. If I can get to Disney, anytime.”
What would your last meal be?
“This is going to sound weird,” she prefaced. Mrs. Perry would want a Mama Mia’s barbecue chicken pizza, but without the chicken. “I’m not a huge fan of chicken on pizza, but I love the flavor of barbecue chicken,” she said.
If a genie granted you 3 wishes right now, what would you wish for?
“Can I wish for anything? Like peace on earth type anything?”
1) “Let’s go with peace on earth then.”
2) “Be able to financially take care of all my loved ones.”
3) “End to illness.”
How would people close to you describe you?
“Extremely organized and focused. I think they would say I’m kind and generous. I also think I’m a little goofy sometimes, but maybe they wouldn’t think so,” she said.
(As a former and current student, I can attest to Mrs. Perry being goofy, but a good goofy.)
What is something on your bucket list?
Mrs. Perry would like to travel to all the continents, minus Antartica, “because it’s too cold.” She wants to experience the culture, the food, the people, and stay there a while, starting with Asia and making her way back to the States.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
“I feel like I’m still in the works of accomplishing things,” said Mrs. Perry, but being a mom of nice kids right now is her biggest accomplishment.
What is one thing that your students don’t know about you?
“There’s not a lot my students don’t know” said Mrs. Perry at first. After a brief pause, she spoke on how she had a learning disability when she was younger, and she was given an IEP. As she worked harder through elementary and middle school, it was dropped. “It definitely shows that with focus and commitment and working towards a goal, obstacles can be overcome, and you can still be successful, no matter the struggles that people are facing,” she said.
Any additional things you want people to know?
“I’m a Disney lover. I really love Disney. I love teaching, I love the grades I teach. I’m passionate about what I do, I really care about my students,” she said. (Fun fact: Mrs. Perry’s favorite Disney food is shrimp tempura with noodles from a Japanese quick service restaurant in EPCOT.)