Meet Mrs. Roughton - The Reading Specialist

I was born and raised in Seattle. I attended Our Lady of the Lake School and then Holy Names Academy. After high school, I wanted to explore another part of the country and swim on a college swim team, so I went to college at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. I studied abroad in Spain my junior year, and I loved exploring the different regions of Spain and other areas of Europe. I graduated with a double major in Spanish and Sociology.

After college I worked for a year at Our Cabana, the Girl Scout World Center in Mexico. People visit the world center from all over the world, which was enlightening for them and me. One of the people who visited mentioned to me, “you know, you might make a good teacher,” which led me into the Master in Teaching Program at Seattle University. After graduating from Seattle University, I taught for 11 years. I have worked with students in every grade from kindergarten through sixth grade. I worked in the Seattle Public Schools as a reading specialist and second and third grade literacy teacher before I joined the team at St. Brendan Catholic School. I am glad to be part of the terrific St. Brendan Community!

Things I love:

I love spending time with my family and playing board games with my friends.

I love to read and have books read to me, even as an adult. My relationship with reading started out a little rocky and I needed extra help to catch up to my classmates in reading when I was second grade. However, by third grade, I fell in love with books in a series. Even today, once I get hooked on the first book in a series, I need to finish the rest!

I love to travel. I have been fortunate enough to visit all seven continents, which has been eye opening to how small the world really is and how interconnected all people and countries are. Although I have visited many places and I would love to go back to most of them, there are many other places to explore and I always have a wish list of where I want to go next.

I love to be active. I like swimming, roller skating, skiing, sledding, playing soccer, playing volleyball, and biking. I also enjoy trying new activities, and since college, I have explored curling, rock climbing, flag football, laser tag, and scuba diving.