More About Mrs. Carlisle

Contact Information

Phone: (650) 213-0147

Room: F9

Email: acarlisle@pausd.org

In the Classroom: Mondays, Tuesdays & every other Wednesday

Question & Answer

Q: What did you do this summer?
A: I gladly spent tons of time with my baby boy. His name is Ben courtesy of his five-year-old cousin (I’ll tell the students the full story), and he is almost eight months old. Ben and I were solo quite a bit this summer as his dad did quite a bit of traveling, including a trip to cover soccer at the Olympics. As a family, we went to Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. It was Ben’s first trip on an airplane; luckily for us, he’s a good baby, but he was going through a squealing phase at the time.

Q: Are you ready to come back to school?
A: In all honesty, I think I feel the same way as most students. I’m not ready to come back, but when I do, it will rapidly feel like I’ve never left, and I’ll get into the swing of things quickly.

Q: How long have you been teaching?
A: This will be my sixth year teaching at Jordan Middle School. Teaching is a second career for me.

Q: What do you enjoy about teaching?
A: I love breaking complex concepts down in a way that students can digest such as the writing process. I love the “Aha” moment when a student grasps something and can take off. I love the fact that I learn as much from my students as they do from me. There’s much to love about this job and to echo Ms. Moin – it is never boring.

Q: What was your favorite subject in school?
A: My favorite subject in school varied with year and teacher. I loved languages – a particular favorite was German class.

Q: Where did you go to college?
A: I went to UC Berkeley where I studied Political Science and minored in German. I earned my teaching credential at Sonoma State.

Q: How long have you been married? Do you have kids?
A: I will be married two years this December. As mentioned above, I have a son named Ben whom I adore. Last year my students went through my pregnancy, maternity leave with a fabulous sub, and my return to work full-time while trying to get a newborn to sleep through the night – they seem to have survived with flying colors!

Q: What type of activities do you and your family do for fun?
A: Well I am only ascertaining what Ben likes to do! We go for a lot of walks; we visit the park. As long as Ben is bouncing somewhere, he is happy.

Q: Where you born in the United States?
A: I was born in County Armagh, Ireland and grew up in a suburb of Dublin. My family moved to the States when I was eleven years old as my father worked for many years for the Irish government.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?
A: I love to read. A true pleasure in my life is to curl up on the couch with a good book. I most recently read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. As the students are reading it in droves, I wanted to see what the fuss was all about!

Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: One of my all time favorite movies is The Princess Bride. I’m also a sucker for any production of a Jane Austen novel, and there have been many!

Q: What is your favorite TV show?
A: Like Ms. Moin, I love Lost. It won me back last season. I also love Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, Burn Notice, and NCIS.

Q: Do you play a musical instrument?
A: I started to play piano in Ireland, but didn’t resume when we moved. I love to sing but am very shy about it. Put me in front of a karaoke machine, and it’s a different story. One of my fantasies is to take drum lessons one day.