By NJ Clausen

Hello and welcome to my favorite time of year! You see more smiles, a little more kindness, and hopefully enjoy the peace and joy of the season. This month I am pleased to introduce you to a woman who brings great joy to many…Alexis Tomlinson.

Born in New York, Alexis is the oldest of 4 sisters. Growing up, Alexis enjoyed playing with her sisters. Some of their favorite games included playing “The Brady Bunch” and singing into hairbrushes all over the house (especially Barry Manilow songs). First a Brownie then a Girl Scout, Alexis was also involved in a youth group called Celebrate Life. This group did a lot of singing at nursing homes and volunteering, in addition to putting on plays and singing in church. Alexis remembered fondly that on Christmas morning the gifts would always wait until after the family met with friends and sang carols.

Alexis really enjoyed going to school, she especially loved reading. She credits her love of reading to her mom, who read to her every night. In 3rd grade, Alexis told her mom that she was going to be a teacher, and never wavered from that plan. In high school Alexis was a sprinter on the track team, running individual events and the relay.

Ten days after graduating from high school, Alexis left to join the “Up with People” International group, where she traveled for a year and lived with host families in Mexico for 5 months. Upon returning back to the States, the group did a great amount of community service. Alexis asserts that she learned more about herself and the beauty of different cultures in that year than at any other time.

During her undergraduate Junior year, Alexis met Rick. They quickly became great friends, as they shared many common interests like racquetball and running; after graduation they knew they wanted to get married. Alexis was soon hired to teach at a Catholic school, but 5 years later when Rick’s company offered a fabulous relocation package, the young couple moved from New York to North Carolina. His company had set up interviews for Alexis at several schools around Forsyth County. She was a good candidate since she had 5 years of teaching experience and her master’s degree. They chose to move to Kernersville as it was small and rural, and it was a central location to any school. Alexis took a position at Union Cross where she taught for 15 years before accepting a position at Caleb’s Creek with Judy Jones. That same year, Alexis was diagnosed with DCIS, which was removed and treated by the “miracle” doctors who treated the whole person. Alexis says that she got through the process with support from Rick, who constantly stayed by her side full of faith and humor.

When asked to share a favorite memory, Alexis told of working as a volunteer for a special needs summer camp every year with her father through the Rotarians, here she developed a special bond of love with those in the program. During her teaching career, she would seek out opportunities to work with special needs children. One particular year teaching 1st grade, she had a boy with autism and another with multiple needs, when she was moved up to 2nd grade the following year she asked to keep those boys with her. Years later, she was going to pick up one of her sons from football practice and saw a young man coming towards her. He asked, “Mrs. T.?” When Alexis said, “Yes,” he looked at her and said, “You loved me.” This was one of her many gifts from teaching. To new teachers, Alexis claims the greatest gift you can give a child is the love of learning, which at the time of testing and meeting standards can be hard. You need to reach for the teachable moments, and to put you and your family first to keep a healthy mind. In February of this year, Alexis went to visit her son and his wife in Vietnam who were teachers at the international school – and where she saw them treated with a respect that has been lost here. When Alexis left the teaching profession, not because she wanted but as it was necessary, her son reminded her of people she knew who worked at Kaleideum, which was a merging of Sci-Works and the downtown Children’s Museum. She was hired there on the spot and started in Guest Engagement, and is now Field Trip Coordinator, encouraging a life-long love of learning.

Alexis hopes that this Christmas people will take a moment to not just look at the gifts, but to look at loved ones and notice the little moments. Be there for the people who are part of your life and re-establish friendships that are important to you.