Marlene Yochum grew up in Illinois, which she describes as “hot and flat”. She attended a Catholic school for eight years while she was growing up. Her earliest school memory was when she was in first grade, and was watching a movie with the other students out on the school bleachers, when a girl vomited all over her skirt. She said she had to call her mom  to be taken home. In school, her favorite subject was spelling, and her least favorite was math. Marlene said that she never really thought about what she wanted to be when she got older, but she never expected to work at a school as the special ed teacher.  She liked one on one work, not with a group.

                Marlene is married and has eight children (Wow!); and has been married for 36 years and still going. She likes to spend time with all of her kids. Some of them live in Alaska, others in Boise, and yet another few elsewhere. In her free time she likes to write letters and send cards, saying that e-mailing and online sending just isn’t her thing.

                If she could do one thing differently in her life, it would be to be more comfortable to while driving. When traveling, her husband is usually the one to take the wheel. Some things that she would like to share with the younger generation is how important it is is to keep friendships and keeping in touch. Don’t be the one to be left behind!