Petite Produce

To put it mildly, I am a very enthusiastic and dedicated educator. I love my job! Over the last seventeen years, the people (students, collegues and families) that I have had the joy to work with are by far the most rewarding part of teaching. I have taught 1st - 6th grades, 8th grade (US History) and adult learners during my seventeen years as an educator.

In my classroom, the curriculum is careful planned to ensure the greatest possible growth of my students. I get to know my students as a whole child with a variety of strengths and needs. Because of these varied needs I use formal and informal ongoing academic, social and behavioral assessments to develop long and short-term goals for individual students and the class as a whole. I then design long-term and short-range goals while collaborating with other teachers to make sure that all grade-level standards are addressed and taught. I then design assignments that can meet a variety of students’ needs, including actively engaging all students. While engaging learners I often see the greatest moments when a student has an “a-ha†and they understand something they have been struggling with.

TFA- RGV '95 NBCT- Middle Childhood Generalist

After graduating from The University of Redlands I began teaching second grade in a small rural town called Donna, Texas. I was placed there after graduation with a National Service Teaching program called Teach For America (TFA). TFA is a program designed to place teachers in under resourced areas for a period of two years. I had such an interesting experience that I decided to stay on for a third year. After leaving Texas, I decided to move back to Southern California. I began teaching in a wonderful K-12 school in Los Angeles called Foshay Learning Center. After getting married and moving yet again I found my home in Orange County, CA. I have also completed my Masters of Science in Education and was earned my National Board Teacher Certification. I truly love teaching and the time that I spend with students and feel very lucky to be a teacher.

I strongly believe that the success of students make hinges upon the positive interactions involving families. The families and communities in which our students belong are the strongest allies in their education. Students' immediate and extended families have constant and critical influence on the their development, attitude toward school and learning. I have yet to come across a parent that does not want their child to succeed, but rather only ones that may not know the best way to help children along their path to success. Involving parents and the community in the classroom and the school is a key component to insuring the success of each and every child. We are some of the lucky people who get to be a teachers! We can positively affect students in many ways. A teacher wears at least a hundred different hats during the course of the day. No one hat is more important than the others. When you walk a classroom you should see an effective environment where all students are engaged and supported in learning. You should see appropriate leveled instruction and a variety of assessments being used. Finally, you should see a professional educator who understands, plans, designs and organizes learning experiences for all students.