Kathleen is very happy to be your catechist this year! This is Kathleen's fourth year teaching religious education at the Church of St. Francis Xavier. She has taught many of you before, because she taught first grade last year! Kathleen will complete the catechist certification program of the Archdiocese of New York in October 2008! This is a picture of Kathleen (in the middle) and her friends Ann and Joaquin.
Kathleen was born near Boston and grew up in Florida. Her family now lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, in the same house her great-grandparents raised their family in! Kathleen has two younger brothers, a younger sister, a sister-in-law, a brother-in-law, a niece, and a nephew. Here is a picture of all the adults in Kathleen's family!
Kathleen is a scientist and college professor. She studies brains! Here is a picture of Kathleen's brain! She does research to try to understand how the brain works, and how doctors can help people get better if they have a brain injury.
Kathleen also has a disability called cerebral palsy. It makes her walk and talk differently than most people. She got it when she was born, because when she was born she didn't breathe correctly at first. It made a small problem in the part of the brain that makes her walk and talk. It is important to remember that even when people have disabilities, they still can do a lot of things and have feelings just like everyone else. Don't ever be shy if you want to ask Kathleen a question about her disability, or if you need her to repeat something she said because you didn't understand. It is okay to ask questions. It won't hurt her feelings!
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