Teaching elementary students and nurturing the whole child academically, socially, and emotionally has been my passion and joy for 20+ years! I graduated from UC Irvine and have a master's degree in early childhood education from Cal State Long Beach. During my 14 years at Oak, it has been so rewarding to engage students in the learning process and cheer them on as they experience those lightbulb moments, all the while taking ownership of their learning and classroom community! My goal is for students to leave second grade as enthusiastic readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, engineers, artists, problem solvers, and caring members of the Oak community! My own four children blossomed as students in LASD, attending Oak, Blach, and Mountain View High School, before moving on to college and amazing career opportunities at local tech companies. Our family has truly benefited from our educational experience in LASD! I not only followed my mother and treasured Oak teacher, Anne Johnson, into the teaching profession, but I've had the unique opportunity to teach with her at Oak! Living and working in the wonderful Oak community has been an incredibly positive life experience for myself and our family. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, cooking, hiking, and spending time with our latest family addition, a mischievous maltipoo puppy named Cooper! I look forward to a wonderful year of learning and growing together in the Oak community with your child!