I've taught for over 15 years in the San Diego Unified School District. Though I have taught every core subject, my love and passion is for mathematics. I work with a very diverse group of students, from many ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. I also have the pleasure and challenge of teaching students with mild learning disabilities who have been inducted into a general education setting. This has helped to refine my teaching in a way that benefits all students.
My favorite quote by Thomas Hicks summarizes how I feel about teaching and learning mathematics: "All people everywhere have a mind for mathematics... and every human being with a functioning brain has an innate facility for mathematical thought." Students can only be successful in math if they have the confidence that drives them to make mistakes. Likewise, a teacher's ability to educate their students only goes as far as their belief in their students' abilities. After all, how could I effectively teach a student who I don't believe has the ability to learn math? This philosophy is what drives my teaching style and challenges me to find new ways to support my struggling learners. I love finding new ways to make math fun, engaging, and accessible. My products represent a small fraction of what I do in my own classroom. I use lots of visuals, scaffolds, and hands-on activities that target different learning modalities while also maximizing our instructional time together.
Most Promising Mathematics Teacher 2006- San Diego State University
Bachelor of Arts in Education- San Diego State University Master's in Education- University of San Diego Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential Single-Subject Teaching Credential- Mathematics
Positions I currently hold at my site: Math Department Chair Member of Instructional Learning Team Member of Student Intervention Team
5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, Homeschool
Math, Algebra, Basic Operations, Geometry, Graphing, Numbers, Order of Operations, Other (Math), Math Test Prep, Statistics, Word Problems, Holidays/Seasonal, Back to School, Thanksgiving, Christmas-Chanukah-Kwanzaa, Halloween, Valentine's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month, Easter, Spring, End of Year, Women's History Month