My goal, as a teacher, is for my students to feel excited about coming to school every day. After eleven years of teaching experience, I have learned the value of making personal connections with my students. I believe when children have a positive self-esteem and feel loved and respected, then the foundation for which academic success is built upon becomes readily available. If this inner joy and self-worth are not prevalent, then all other successes will be lost.
I obtained my Masters in Teaching in 2005 at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 2011, I received the Seattle Seahawks Hero in the Classroom Award. With this award, I applied for and was the recipient of The Symetra Financial and Seahawks MVP Grant for $10,000. This grant provided funding for a science and math creation station for my school. In August 2015, I completed International Baccalaureate Professional Development for Making the PYP Happen. Most recently, September 2016, I completed over 30 hours of training through the Mindful Schools Program, to learn about implementing mindfulness in my personal life and in my classroom.
I worked in neighboring Seattle school districts for seven years before I moved to Bogotá, Colombia in 2012 to teach at the international school, Colegio Nueva Granada. In 2014, I moved to Sydney, Australia to be near my husband, where I took a Spanish Language Course, volunteered at The Sydney Story Factory, a non-profit creative writing center, and enrolled in an online course in Writing Children's Picture Books. In 2015, my husband and I moved to Porto Alegre, Brazil to teach at the Pan American School of Porto Alegre, where I taught 5th grade for two years. Throughout my teaching experiences, I have worked not only to create a strong sense of trust and care within my classroom, but also within the school community. I welcome families and outside community members into the classroom to share in our everyday learning activities.
I look forward to growing, both professionally and personally, as I continue to teach and work with my colleagues. I value my job, because my passion is bringing joy into the lives of my students and validating their individual thoughts and emotions.
I obtained my Masters in Teaching in 2005 at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 2011, I received the Seattle Seahawks Hero in the Classroom Award. With this award, I applied for and was the recipient of The Symetra Financial and Seahawks MVP Grant for $10,000. This grant provided funding for a science and math creation station for my school. In August 2015, I completed International Baccalaureate Professional Development for Making the PYP Happen. Most recently, September 2016, I completed over 30 hours of training through the Mindful Schools Program, to learn about implementing mindfulness in my personal life and in my classroom.
I worked in neighboring Seattle school districts for seven years before I moved to Bogotá, Colombia in 2012 to teach at the international school, Colegio Nueva Granada. In 2014, I moved to Sydney, Australia to be near my husband, where I took a Spanish Language Course, volunteered at The Sydney Story Factory, a non-profit creative writing center, and enrolled in an online course in Writing Children's Picture Books. In 2015, my husband and I moved to Porto Alegre, Brazil to teach at the Pan American School of Porto Alegre, where I taught 5th grade for two years. Throughout my teaching experiences, I have worked not only to create a strong sense of trust and care within my classroom, but also within the school community. I welcome families and outside community members into the classroom to share in our everyday learning activities.
I look forward to growing, both professionally and personally, as I continue to teach and work with my colleagues. I value my job, because my passion is bringing joy into the lives of my students and validating their individual thoughts and emotions.
