Q&A: Haycock Elementary Teacher Releases First Book

MCLEAN, VA — A teacher of 14 years at Haycock Elementary School published her first book, the subject of which many working parents can relate to.

Allison Kelly, an ESOL teacher at the school, published her book, "There's Spaghetti on My Ceiling: And Other Confessions of a Reformed Perfectionist," just in time for the holiday season. A mother of two McLean High School graduates, she writes about balancing life as a Fairfax County Public Schools parent and teacher.

As the book title suggests, Kelly writes about putting 100 percent into too many priorities, and she had to cope with things not always turning out perfect. The book is organized as a memoir-in-essay detailing her "adventures as an elementary school teacher and parent forever seeking the perfect day and finding joy in the imperfect ones."

Patch asked Kelly to complete a Q&A to discuss her teaching career, book, life during the pandemic, and living in the local area.

1. How did the idea to write your first book come about?

I’m pretty reflective, so I’ve been aware of my perfectionist nature for a long time. About 10 years ago, I started a blog for family and friends. Writing down my stories helped me process and reflect and remind me to have a sense of humor when things didn’t go according to plan.

I’ve dreamed of writing a book about being a reformed perfectionist for many years, but I never did for two reasons: first, I thought I would actually have to reform, and second, there always seemed to be other stuff on my list of things to do.

When I was home this summer due to the pandemic, I finally found time to work on the project of collecting and editing some of these stories. I decided to make it a goal to publish a book by my 50th birthday which is coming up later this month.

2. Your book is about balancing life as a parent with work as a teacher. Does it bring up topics that working parents commonly face?

Absolutely. Any parent who has ever struggled with getting home from work in time to get dinner together, making sure the Little League uniform is clean, and remembering to pick up posterboard for the school project will relate to this book. This book takes place during the exhausting timeframe when my kids were old enough to be signed up for multiple activities but not old enough to drive themselves anywhere.

3. Tell us about your experience at Haycock Elementary School and what you like about working there.

I absolutely love Haycock Elementary School. Both my own children attended Haycock and I never requested a teacher because I knew I would be comfortable having my kids in any classroom. The teachers and staff at Haycock are the most committed, dedicated people I’ve ever known. They feel more like family to me than coworkers.

The Haycock community is incredibly supportive. I am still in touch with many of my former students and families. My first year at Haycock (2007) I taught kindergarten and those students just graduated from high school in the class of 2020. Over the past 14 years, I’ve taught kindergarten, third grade, fifth grade and now ESOL.

4. How have you been handling life during the COVID-19 pandemic, both in your teaching position and at home?

Learning how to teach virtually was and still is a very humbling experience. I’m not shy about asking for help and I’m getting more comfortable using new programs, but I still miss being with all the kids. Since I teach ESOL, I have some Level 1 students in the building, and it makes a huge difference to see them in person.

I’ve tried to look for positives as much as I can during the pandemic. One bonus is that I’ve been outside so much more. My husband and I started hiking and we’ve found a lot of local adventures where we can be socially distant.

5. Where do you live, and what are your favorite things about living there? Do you have any favorite restaurants or other businesses?

I live in Falls Church (Fairfax County) and my commute to work is only a mile. When the weather is nice, I can sometimes walk or bike to school if I haven’t packed three bags of stuff to do. I love working and living in the community because it’s fun to run into Haycock families when I’m grocery shopping or at the farmer’s market.

I’m also near one of my favorite Indian restaurants called Haandi. We usually order carry out from them for my birthday and my mouth is already starting to water thinking of their Palak Paneer.

You can find Kelly's book on Amazon.