Student Information Sheet—Make Your First Impression
Name:Eve Anne Itaya
Age:50
Describe yourself:I am out-going, enthusiastic, random, and very passionate about teaching. I love my job and I love working with my students. I’m somewhat old-school when it comes to teaching—I’ve been doing it for twenty-nine years. I grew up in Chatsworth, got my degree from UC Berkeley in English and got my Masters from UCLA in education. I think a caring teacher goes above and beyond to help make sure that students learn, so I try to be as caring as humanly possible!!
Tell me about your family:I met my husband, Randy, when we were twelve. We went to Jr. High, High School and College together. He is an architect and he works in Westwood, near UCLA. We are the classic opposites attract: he is good at math and art; he is very quiet and introverted. He is Japanese American and I love his culture—especially sushi!! My oldest daughter, Chelsea, graduated from Valencia and from UC Berkeley. She was a PAC-12 cheerleader and she majored in business. She currently works for Paramount Studios. My younger daughter, Torey, graduated from Saugus and currently attends the University of Oregon. She loves being a Duck, she loves Eugene and she is majoring in art history. Both my daughters were dancers in high school.
Tell me about your closest friends:Donna is my closest friend from childhood—we met in 6th grade. She is an elementary school teacher and is like my sister. Ali is my college roommate—she lives in La Jolla and is a lawyer. She is so funny and she makes the best granola. She also saved my life, literally. Debbie, Karin and Michelle and I met when our kids were small and we all kind of raised our kids together. Joni is my best friend at school—we love exercising and learning about nutrition. I love that I get to hang with her every day, cause I don’t always get to talk to my other friends as often.
Share some highlights from your summer break:I taught summer school for a month. I did get to travel to Hawaii in June and to Mexico last week. In Hawaii, we went hiking, went to a wedding, stayed at a gorgeous resort and flew in a helicopter over the island. In Mexico, I read, ate, swam, snorkeled and basically sat by the pool all day. I loved it!!!! I enjoyed being at home this summer too, reading and watching movies and hanging with family and friends. I love being busy, but I also love being peaceful as well.
What do you like to do in your free time? What are your interests and hobbies?I LOVE spending time with my dogs!!!! I have two Maltese named Barclay and Breezy. I am obsessed with them and I will make you look at pictures!! I also love football, both NFL and college, and I play in a fantasy league. I love stories—novels, TV, movies…I love to hike and snow ski. I like to try new things—I’m not a dare devil, but I’m pretty adventurous. I travel every year, no matter what. I am also really into health and fitness.
What parts of your character/personality are your strongest assets? What are your growth areas?My strongest assets are that I am caring, smart, kind, helpful and friendly. My growth areas include procrastination and patience.
What are your general feelings about school and education? What has your educational experience been like so far?Obviously, I think education is really important. I love learning new things—I still am excited by knowledge. I loved school-both high school and college. I guess that is why I am still here. I think school teaches discipline, which is so necessary on a day to day basis. I think high school gives people a chance to discover their passions, but it also challenges people to learn how to cope with things that they aren’t as passionate about.
How do you feel about reading? What was the last book you read? Tell me a little about why you liked/disliked it. What role did reading play in your childhood? How do your family members feel about reading?I am a reading addict. I read every single day!! I think being a reader is somewhat genetic. I just read this great mystery called Girl on the Train. It was similar to Gone Girl, and I bet they will make it into a movie. I like reading about real people in realistic situations. I like it because it teaches me so much about human nature and why people are the way they are. Reading broadens my perspective and I would not be happy having a limited perspective. I have always been a reader since I was a little kid. I know this sounds weird, but I think that some of my best friends are characters from books. Chelsea reads like I do. Randy and Torey, a little less.Torey got hooked on the Game of Thrones series.
What are your plans for your future?I will keep travelling. I want to open a doggie daycare when I retire from teaching, called Granny’s. I want to keep learning and growing. I want to discover new passions. I want to spend as much time possible with the people I love!!