by Donna Swagerty Shreve In March of 1977 I started my maternity leave with what I thought was going to be a month to get ready. Brad had other ideas. My first day of leave was the day Brad decided…
donnashreve
The Year I Taught in the Boonies
by Donna Swagerty Shreve Phylicia Brozene and Donna Shreve Lodi Unified School District in 1976 has been unified for about ten years. Many small independent schools had been caught up in the sweep for unification. Venice-King School became a prime…
Back In California
by Donna Swagerty Shreve Elmer Swagerty with 2nd grade class in Escalon 1973 John and I had a big decision to make at the end of his four year enlistment in the Coast Guard. Do we stay in Connecticut or…
Buster in the Classroom
by Donna Swagerty Shreve The year was 1969 and I had survived my first year of teaching. John, my husband, and I were living in Connecticut while John served his four year enlistment in the Coast Guard Band. The principal,…
My First Four Years of Teaching
By Donna Swagerty Shreve First class of 1968-1969 in Niantic, Connecticut My first teaching job took place in a small town of 3,000 in Connecticut. I arrived June 1968 in Connecticut after being separated from my husband since March. I…
The Year My Students Taught Me The Most
by Donna Swagerty Shreve As a new teacher living in a small town in Connecticut, I had already survived two years of teaching when my principal approached with me with a proposition. Our school had been chosen for a special…
Parents Anticipation for Christmas
by Donna Swagerty Shreve We are all aware of a child’s anticipation for Christmas, but little is mentioned about the parents of those children. That short-lived several years thrill is such a draw for the parents to recreate and hopefully share…
What Goes Around Comes Around
by Donna Swagerty Shreve 1983 Diesel Volva Station Wagon with Donna in passenger seat and Aaron in back seat I was having a rare conversation with my eleven year old grandson Michael. The topic of family stories came up and…
Government on a Small Scale
by Donna Swagerty Shreve Returning from a simple trip to the grocery store, the handyman in our complex saw me come into the campus and flagged me down. He explained that everyone was looking for me and that my husband…
Careful Conversations With My Son
by Donna Swagerty Shreve My oldest son was a senior in high school. He could not drive as he didn’t have a license. We were punishing him for his subpar grades. That brilliant consequence meant he was always getting rides…
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 