Hi! My name is Debbie Hoodiman, and I am looking forward to beginning my first year as a full-time Woods teacher after working here as a guest teacher in 2021-2022.

This past year as a guest teacher, I had the opportunity to experience Woods from so many perspectives. I worked in Elementary, Middle, and High School. In MS creative writing one day, we sat on picnic tables in the woods behind the school and wrote from our senses. In a HS drama class one day, we played theater games on the stage. I watched students in physics class repair various objects, including a 3D printer. I saw seed bombs in a science lab, MS Renaissance projects, kindergarteners learning about Mt. Rushmore, students adding to an American history wall, second graders learning the fundamentals of volleyball. I even got to run around the soccer field in 9^th grade P.E. and be the guest teacher for my own kid’s 4^th grade class!

Last year was such a wild ride, but I’m happy to say I’ve landed! I’ve landed in the HS EC department, and I’m excited to have a home base to work from.

For the past 8 years, I have worked one-on-one with students from 4^th to 12^th grade to help them with their reading and writing skills and also to help them prepare for the SAT verbal sections. Before that, I taught English in the CUNY Start program in New York City community colleges and at a giant high school in Queens, NY (we had over 4,000 students in the building my first year there!).

I grew up in Florida, and I graduated from University of Florida with my B.A. in English and from Queens College with an M.S. in Education. My North Carolina certifications are in HS ELA 9-12 and Exceptional Children K-12 General Education.

My family moved down to North Carolina from Brooklyn in 2014, and I love it here! I have two kids who attend Woods, Oliver (grade 5) and Stella (grade 2). My family lives in Chapel Hill in a small blue house with a pollinator garden. In my free time, I love to read, write, go camping, swim, and (slowly!) become more competent at guitar.