As a young girl, I would spend hours in my mother's classroom, helping her with everything from hanging bulletin boards to grading papers. It was clear even then that the classroom is where I am meant to be! I have been working with children in education for over eighteen years. While I was earning my B.A. in English from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, I worked as an Instructional Aide in the Special Education Department of Howard County Schools. After continuing on to earn a Master's in Leadership Teaching from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, I moved out to California and had the immense good fortune of beginning my teaching career in Los Altos, teaching English at Egan Jr. High. Now, fourteen years later, I am still teaching in Los Altos and couldn't imagine a better place to be! I have had the chance to teach third, fifth, and seventh grade, and to work with hundreds of amazing students and families. My greatest passion as an educator is getting to know my students and forming deep connections with them. Recently, I have also developed a passion for creating an anti-bias classroom experience for my students, honoring and instilling a love for the diverse beauty that is present in my classroom, our greater community, and the world. While it has been decades since I helped my mother hang up art work on boards and put gold stickers on papers, I have never lost the feeling of happiness and excitement that flutters within me every time I step into the classroom.