Pamela Kramer

I grew up in Barrington Hills, Illinois, and I attended the University of Arizona with a major in Speech Communications and a minor in Spanish. After college, I lived for two years in Mexico City, working as an English teacher, traveling, and improving my Spanish. I then returned to the Chicago area where I attended law school at night while working for a law firm during the day. After passing the bar exam, I spent the next many years practicing law, full time and then part-time at home while I raised my children. For several years I also created jewelry and my designs were featured in 12 stores including New York and Los Angeles (and Highland Park). At that time, I also taught watercolor painting at Westridge Center in Highland Park after taking classes there for almost 20 years. When my youngest was in fifth grade, I decided that I would get more personal fulfillment from teaching. I started teaching at NSSD112 in 2001 and have taught 5th grade dual language, reading, and gifted and enriched classes. I have been involved in animal rescue and personally traveled to China to bring back two dogs my daughter rescued, one of whom I still have in my home with my other two dogs, four cats and a bird. I write two columns for Examiner.com: Chicago Pet Rescue and National Book Examiner.