Spark4Learning

I dabbled in all primary grades as a young teacher, but I found my heart in 1st grade! I have been teaching elementary school for 25 years. About half of those years have been in Structured English Immersion (SEI) and half in a bilingual classroom (previously called Transitional Bilingual, currently Dual Language). I have had English learners in every class I have ever taught, in fact, they comprise 85-95% of my class each year. This year I have delved further into technology and we have gotten into coding, 3-D design, and more. Kids are so amazing!

Students are stars! They can do so much more than we can imagine! They still surprise me as I learn and grow along with them. That makes me feel like a star, too! That is part of the reason for the name of my store (see additional bio for "about my store name"). I suppose I will have to give more thought to my "teaching style", but these are key to me: *Lead by example *Seek to understand *Open as many doors as possible *Give support and challenges "just in time" *Create a community

I consider it a great honor to have been certified in 2005 by the NBPTS as an accomplished teacher in early childhood (see below). I have also been honored to serve as facilitator for our school site's SSTs (Student Success Team) for 3 years. My love for math has allowed me to serve also on the Math Curriculum Evaluation Committee, the Math Curriculum Map committee, as well as Math Assessment Committee for our district. I have been awarded technology grants by the OCCUE (Orange County Computer Using Educators), as well as local district, and others.

I earned a Bachelor's Degree at Pacific Christian College (now known as Hope International University), where I returned for Master's Degree in Education. I was National Board certified as an Early Childhood Generalist (preschool-third grade) by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2005. In 2018 I earned a Master's Degree in School Administration and Leadership at Loyola Marymount University and in 2019 I founded Spark4Learning, an organization which strives to provide people with access to the amazing resources and experiences that afford them opportunities to ignite their Spark4Learning and reach for their dreams!

Hi! I am just getting started! I hope you'll follow me to see what is to come! On most items you will see that they will start small and grow, so if you see it when it first comes up, you can get it for the lowest price and get each updated on that item as they become available at no extra charge! ***About me: I have 2 grown daughters who both attended the bilingual program in elementary school where I taught at the time. One is now a teacher herself, and the other has learned a 3rd language (Arabic) and works in the arena of political science. ***About my store name: *La Maestrellita is a combination of "maestra" (teacher) and "estrella" (star) with "-ita" being the diminutive or affectionate suffix. I hope you enjoy learning along with me as we grow together in Spanish, English, Math, Science, Technology, and other areas!