I was born on December 19, 1955, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and brought home on Christmas Eve by two devoted parents, Bill and Carmella Smallhoover. According to these young parents, no other Christmas gift could ever measure up - until several years later when my younger sisters were also born in December - Evelyn on December 27th and Erica on December 17th. Needless to say, the holiday season is very festive (and frantic) in our family!

From the time I started kindergarten at the age of 4, I always loved school. Early admittance was possible because I could "Draw-A-Man" and, because I could read ( I thought). My favorite picture of that time was one of me sitting on a high back chair and "reading" the newspaper - upside down! Although I wasn't even big enough to open the door to the school, I looked forward to the amazing experiences in that classroom - making butter with a real churn, playing with puppets, listening to the wonderful books our teacher read. We moved to Upper St. Clair in 1960, where I attended first and second grade at Our Lady of Grace Catholic School. My most vivid memories were of Sister Eucharia and learning to speak French.

We moved to Poland, Ohio, in the summer of 1962. I attended Holy Family School through grade 8 and graduated from Poland Seminary High School in 1973 at the age of 17. Throughout my years of schooling, I was fortunate to have had amazing teachers: Mrs. Sullivan, Sister Mary Louise, Miss Swift, Mrs. Snow, Mrs. Alfano and Mrs. Maikranz. These women all found a way to bring out the best from this shy, introverted child who always had her head in a book. These teachers encouraged my voracious reading and my love of numbers. The relationship established with these educators set me along a path that would shape my adulthood and influence further education and career choices throughout my life.

After graduating from Poland, I enrolled at Youngstown State University. My lifelong love of learning served me well and I received my B.S. in Elementary Education after three years at Youngstown State University. My successful K-12 experiences had continued at YSU with the TEC program and student teaching. I would graduate at the end of August, 1976, raring to go! Much to my delight a job offer came from St. Christine's - followed on the same day by a phone call to interview with the Boardman Local Schools. Before I accepted St. Christine's offer, I drove to Market Street Elementary School and met with the principal, Mr. Harold Cullar. The rest, as they say, is history.

I have spent the past twenty-nine years in education with the Boardman Local School District. I began teaching in August 1976, at the age of twenty. After teaching fourth grade at Market Street School for four years, I transferred to Glenwood Middle School in 1980. After three days of school at Glenwood, our local education association went on strike. As treasurer of the Boardman Education Association, I was involved in all aspects of the strike and the negotiations process. I was among thirty teachers arrested on the picket line. The BEA was ordered by the court to return to work. I was served a subpoena and appeared in Judge Clyde Osborne's court. After being found in contempt of a court order, I was sentenced to ten days in jail with fifteen of my fellow officers and building representatives. Every Saturday and Sunday for the next five weekends, we reported to the Mahoning County Jail to serve twelve hours of incarceration. I will never forget the sound of the jail cell door slamming shut! Though a difficult experience, our ordeal helped teachers across the state of Ohio gain the collective bargaining rights that we enjoy today.

My career at Glenwood Middle School continued through 1996. During that time, I honed my skills as a middle school mathematics teacher. Again, I was blessed with gifted teachers, mentors, and friends: Dr. Leland Knauf, Mrs. Jean Pascale, and Mrs. Lynn Flaviano. These colleagues shared my passion and influenced my growth and involvement in mathematics education. During my sixteen years at Glenwood, I was selected both as a "Classroom Teacher Educator" for the YSU student teaching program and as a YSU/Ohio Board of Regents Math Scholar. I earned an M.S. in Ed. Administration (Elementary Supervision K-8) in 1982 and an M.S. in Ed. (Gifted and Talented Education K-12) in 1987 from YSU. I spoke about non-routine problem-solving in middle school mathematics at various workshops for Youngstown City Schools, Wayne County Schools and in presentations for the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conferences in Zanesville and Cleveland. I was also an instructor of a series of Elementary Mathematics Workshops for teachers of grades 5-6 for the Stark County RTTC. I served in several positions (Secretary, Vice-President-Elementary) with The Eastern Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics and remain active in that organization as the Chair of the TAPS Contest. During my years at Glenwood, I am most proud of initiating, implementing, and conducting the first Family Math Night Programs for Boardman Local Schools at both Glenwood and Center Middle Schools.

On a personal note, it was during this time (September 4, 1993) that I married Don Dailey. Many of you know Don for his own stellar service to our educational community and for serving as a dedicated employee of Boardman Local Schools for thirty-seven years. He is my pillar of strength, my biggest cheerleader, and my best friend. He believes in me, encourages me, and always makes me smile.

In 1996, I had the opportunity to pioneer the job of gifted intervention specialist for the Boardman Schools. I served the K-8 instructional staff in the four elementary schools and two middle schools in the district, and provided direct instruction for gifted students in grades 3 through 6. In addition, I was responsible for the presentation of professional development programs in gifted education for the district. In collaboration with the MCESC and our middle school language arts department, I developed and implemented the Exploring Careers through Electronic Liaisons (ExCEL) Mentor Program for enriched eighth grade language arts students. I introduced Boardman students, parents and teachers to the Odyssey of the Mind/Destination Imagination programs. Serving Boardman as its first gifted intervention specialist provided me with wonderful experiences and one of my life's greatest gifts - my dearest friend and mentor, Dr. Carroll Brunner.

In 1999, I was selected as a Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year by our local Wal-Mart Store. I was also granted a transfer to Boardman Center Middle School to teach mathematics in grades 7-8. I am currently serving as the Instructional Coordinator for the Mathematics Department at Boardman Center. I am a PRAXIS III Assessor for the Ohio Department of Education. In 1999, I completed additional coursework at YSU to obtain my elementary principal certification.

My dearest friend shared the words of St. Therese, the Little Flower. "What matters in life," St. Therese wrote, "are not great deeds but great love." I love my life's work. What started as a "career choice" has become a vocation. Although I dream of doing at least a million other jobs, I know in my heart and soul that I am an educator. I love to learn, and share that joy with my students - they teach me something everyday! I love to read, and bring the magic of the books into my mathematics classroom. I am intrigued by the mystery of numbers, and enjoy the discovery of mathematics with my students. I am passionate about the profession and appreciate my colleagues who share this fire. I love the smiles, the grimaces, the wonder and the essence of my students. I have been blessed.