My name is Anna Donskoy. The first thing that people notice about me is that I have an accent! So I always like to start with the stories about my hometown.

I grew up in Russia, Siberia, the City of Krasnoyarsk. Siberia is a very cold place; it is often compared to Alaska. In Russia I graduated from a Teachers’ Training University and began my career as an English teacher.

Teaching was not the only profession I wanted to try when I was younger. I also wanted to be a bus driver, a singer, a dancer, an orchestra conductor, and a writer. A career of an English teacher was more of my mother’s choice. I was a very energetic child… Energetic children usually end up as teachers; my Mom probably knew it.

My family and I moved to the United States in November, 1993. We first lived in Hollywood, and then we moved here. I worked as a preschool teacher for a few years, and in 1996 I was hired by LAUSD. I taught first, second, third, and fifth grades. I also taught summer school in Kindergarten for 4 weeks, but I count them as 4 years… Kindergarteners have a lot of unused energy. It is hard to keep up with them. It is good that they like to sing. Whenever I was not sure what to do, I would burst into a song, and they were ready to join at any given moment.

My daughter is now twenty years old, and she is studying at the University of California. She is a very funny and talented girl. She loves to run and take pictures. She always makes me laugh. We have two dogs, Jake (also known as Uncle Yeyka) and Sadie (also known as Moska). Jake is a chubby, lazy, and drop dead gorgeous beagle, and Sadie is a pretty, skinny, and hyper dachshund/basset hound. Sadie drives Jake crazy, and I think Jake is secretly plotting different ways to get rid of her…

In my spare time I like to hike and go to the beach with my husband and the two dogs (click on the dogs to see the picture), create web sites, and work with digital graphics. I like to read mysteries and sci-fiction, listen to my audio books, and I like to swim. I also like all kinds of gadgets and tea. Most of all, I probably like to stay home with my family and my dogs. If I have to travel I need to have my computer and audio books with me.

There are some things that I dislike. I do not like dishonest and lazy people. I do not like Disneyland rides, and I do not like soda and coke.

Well, there is more that I can tell you about my life, but I am afraid we are out of time.  If you are my student, you will get to know me and I hope that we will be friends! Below is my album if you want to see some pictures

Mrs. Donskoy