‘It was a huge culture shock – I went from Metallica to Randy Travis’
Name: Brandy Klopf. Age: 43. Family: Husband, Ed; stepdaughter, Julie; parents-in-law, Birdie and Bob; siblings, Josh and Rhianna. Residence: Yuba City. Occupation: Sixth-grade teacher at Anna Mckenney since 2001.
How did you decide to become a teacher? I like kids – they’re not broken. I knew I could make a difference with kids.
What’s your walk-up intro music? “Life’s Been Good,” by Joe Walsh.
Hobbies, interests: Tubing down the river, going to rock concerts – my brother, Josh Budro, has a band which travels all over California and Nevada.
What brought you to the Yuba-sutter area? I lived in Anaheim until I was 12 years old, then moved to Loma Rica.
Effect of the move: It was a huge culture shock – I went from Metallica to Randy Travis, and from a fourth-to-seventh-grade school of 6,000 students to a school of 300.
What’s kept you here? Great friends – I have maintained relationships with people since sixth grade.
Where would you like to retire? On a beach – Hawaii, or Bahamas; anywhere tropical.
Dream vacation: Travel without a budget.
What is the closest you’ve been to a famous person? Great White band – we showed up on the wrong date for a concert at Feather Falls Casino, so we went into the casino café. The band members were there and we talked with them for about an hour. The next night at the concert, the band waved at us from the stage and we waved back.
What would you do with a million dollars? Fix an orphanage in Southern California. For myself, a whole new wardrobe.
Favorite memory to share:
We had a 1967 Chris-craft boat – we used it to tour Bethel Island about five years ago.
What did you want to be when you were a kid? A secretary so I could dress up real fancy.
Favorite places in the area: Yuba and Feather rivers.
Dream job: I’m doing my dream job – if I could afford to, I would work for free. This year is my “unicorn” class – they’re so good they don’t exist. I have had a lot of really wonderful classes.
Pet peeve: The sound of water running out of a faucet. It makes me crazy;
I don’t like water being wasted.
What do you like about yourself? I’m genuine.
What/where is your heaven on earth? My husband – we’ve been together since 2001 and married since 2005.
Favorite TV show: I didn’t watch TV for 10 years – I didn’t want it to rule my life.
Favorite book: “Natural Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About” by Kevin Trudeau.
Who should play you in a motion picture? Debra Winger – people say I look like her.