Paula Archey, Librarian

Where are you from?

I am from Springfield, Massachusetts. I lived in a neighborhood called Sixteen Acres.

What is your background?/ What jobs did you have before this?

I was a first-year experience librarian for the last four years at the University of Virginia (UVA), a middle school literature teacher at Saint Joan of Arc in Chicopee, Massachusetts, a bank teller at the Suntrust Bank, and an office manager at a doctor’s office at Walker Cantu Chiropractic in Charlottesville, Virginia.

What got you into teaching?

My mom was a fourth grade teacher at Henri A. Yelle Elementary School in Norton, Massachusetts. I have also just always loved being around kids.

Why do you teach this subject?/ When did you begin getting interested in the subject you teach?

I love books and I want everyone to love books. I have always loved libraries, but I didn’t start thinking about becoming a librarian until I was 30 years old.

What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is to be open and honest with students and teachers so that we can all learn. I think it’s better when we can speak freely with each other.

Have any teacher(s) left an impact on you?

Two teachers have left huge impacts on me. My fifth grade teacher, Ms. Labonte, had a huge reading area and encouraged people to take a book from a shelf and start reading. The other teacher is my high school physics teacher, Mr. Funai, who I didn’t like at first because I had disliked the class in general. Mr. Funai helped me a lot with getting to like the subject. He is also the reason I didn’t fail that subject.

What is something people don’t know about you?

A lot of people don’t know that I used to dance in competitions. I started dancing when I was three years old. I started doing competitions when I was thirteen and went on until the age of seventeen.

Do you have any pets?

I have two Lionhead rabbits named Pepe and Rizzo.

What do you do in your spare time?

I read, bake, and go to concerts to see live music. My favorite book is “She is Not There: A Life in Two Genders”  by Jennifer Finney Boylan. It is about Jennifer’s journey through her transgender life, from boy to girl. My favorite thing to bake is a chocolate layer birthday cake with raspberry filling and chocolate buttercream frosting. My favorite artist to listen to is Sia. “Elastic Heart” is my all-time favorite song she has written.