Carol Etheridge Paris Wingard

CAREERS: I teach AP English Language and African American Literature at Columbus Liberal Arts Magnet High School in Columbus, GA. I have been an AP Language National Reader for the College Board since 2001. I earned my National Certification in 2002. I am active at my school, sponsoring the Literary Society, Poetry Slam, and the Gay-Straight Alliance. I taught for 5 years in the 70s, was a family therapist from 1985 to 1995, and came back into teaching in 1994. I feel called to help troubled teenagers, and I often deal with kids who are depressed and suicidal. I will probably return to being a therapist when I retire from teaching. I love my job.FAMILY: I have been married to Greg Wingard for 12 years. He is in marketing at AFLAC. We met playing bridge -- we are both competitive and have enjoyed competing in bridge, bowling, Scrabble, and currently in a weight challenge contest with his family. We have a $900 pot going -- we will all weigh in on Thanksgiving Day to see who has lost the biggest percentage weight since July 13. My goal is to have lost 40 pounds and so far, I have lost 20 pounds.I have 3 children from my first marriage of 21 years. Carson Paris, my oldest, just turned 29. He graduated from Columbus State University this past December with a degree in psychology, but he is still a Bulldog, having gone to UGA for several years. He has been married to Carrie Houston Paris since July of 2005--Carrie is also from Columbus and co-owns Dance Performance Centre in Columbus with Carrie Smith Borum, a former student of mine. Brent is about to turn 28 and is a pilot with a new job in Birmingham -- flying planes for UAB Hospital. He is finding this job rewarding after several years working for charter companies. He is on his way up in his career, receiving more training in Dallas right now. Brent and Jodie Berry Paris have been married since September 8, 2001. They returned from a honeymoon in Jamaica to a world forever changed by 9/11--and to a world where Brent's career path was drastically altered because of the changes in airlines' hiring. They lived in Auburn until March of 2005, when they moved to Madison, Alabama. They will be moving to Birmingham soon. Brent and Jodie have an almost 2-year-old daughter, Annabelle, who is the light of my life, the song in my heart, and the reason I am starting a myspace page. Caroline, now 22, is a senior at Furman University, where she is majoring in Spanish. She has a 3.84 GPA, a loving heart, a giving spirit--she is going to do big things in her life. I am so proud of all my children, both daughters-in-law, and ANNABELLE.POLITICS: My views on politics have always been strong, but never more than in the last 7 years. I am a liberal Democrat who is anti-war (but pro-troops), pro-choice (but anti-abortion personally), pro-health reform, pro-help to the poor, elderly, and pro- education reform. I think the No Child Left Behind stuff is total bullshit. I am angry about every move George W. Bush has made, and I hope to God that intelligent, compassionate people will move to vote his party out of power in 2006 and 2008. I worry for the future of my children and my grandchildren.BACKGROUND: I grew up in Columbus, GA, graduating from Hardaway High School in 1969, UGA (AB English) in 1972, GSU 1986 (MS, Counseling and Psychology) and CSU 1998 (Specialist Degree, Administration). I lived in Augusta from 1972-77 when my first husband Ray was in medical school. Both my parents are deceased, my mom dying in 1973 and my dad in 1992. Both my sisters, Linda and Nancy, live in Columbus. My niece Amy adopted a baby in 2004, Amelia Claire, who is 2 months younger than Annabelle. My niece Madison is 13 now, and I do not get to see her often. My brother Frankie lives in Atlanta now. My nephew Carl died in 1995, and my niece Allison died in the spring of 2006. I grieve for the loss of both my niece and nephew, but also for the anguish of my sister Nancy, who has lost both her children. I have a huge extended family, with about 60 cousins—first cousins (12 living of 16), second cousins, and third cousins. This year, for the first time, I am teaching one of my cousins -- my first cousin, twice removed. It is cool to watch her and see traces of her great grandmother, who was my mom's oldest sister.I am fairly sure this profile is supposed to be much shorter than this, but I got on a roll – I am a writer at heart and still hope to write a best seller one day.