Marie, tell us a bit about your professional background. How long have you worked as a speech therapist?
I grew up on Long Island, New York. My family lived next to my mother's parents (Polish immigrants) who had a potato farm. I had potatoes every day of my life until I went to college! I attended State University of New York (SUNY) College at Cortland. That is where I got a B.A, as a Teacher of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped. After that I received my Master's Degree from Hofstra University. I have been working as a Speech-Language Pathologist since 1983. I moved to Boston in 1986 and worked for Easter Seals Home Health Care. I had to drive to patient's homes and worked mainly with pediatric and geriatric patients. That was before GPS, so I had to learn my way around the Boston area very quickly. I started working in the Cambridge Public Schools in 1988.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I consider my self very lucky because I LOVE my job. It makes me happy every single day. One of my favorite parts about my job is the diversity. It NEVER gets boring. I work with students ages three through eleven from just about every class in this school.
What are your biggest challenges day-to-day?
One of my biggest challenges is staying organized. I switch groups every 30 minutes. I may be working with a group of preschoolers and then quickly have to switch to a group of fifth graders. Like I said - It never gets boring!
What is something the Tobin community might not know about you?
Outside of work I really enjoy traveling, cooking, and going to Bruins games. I am a huge Boston Bruins fan!