I was born and raised in California in a home full of teachers. From a young age, I would line my dolls and stuffed animals in my room, tape a sheet of paper to my closet to use as my blackboard, and play school. If I was lucky, my three sisters would be my live students. I attended San Diego State University and graduated with a B.A. in Liberal Studies and a minor in school health. I received my teaching credential from San Francisco State University, and spent the early part of my career teaching in San Bruno (12 years) in both 5th and 1st grade. I instantly became enamored with first grade. The passion and excitement their little minds have for learning and growing inspired me. After some time away from teaching to raise a family, I returned to teaching in LASD at Oak Elementary. I was fortunate to have been part of the Oak community as a parent where I watched my own three children grow and thrive in their education (even my husband attended Oak; well, for the last six weeks of 6th grade). Besides helping in parent roles at Oak, I have been a literacy aide and have taught first grade here for the last 6 years. What excites me about teaching is building a classroom culture where students feel welcome, safe, are ok with making mistakes, challenged to think critically, and develop a love for reading. When I’m not teaching, I enjoy early morning runs, being with my family, a good book, and the guilty pleasure of binge watching tv.