The Teacher

Background: I grew up in Nevada City, graduating from NU with the intent of leaving my small town life. After traveling around the United States, Italy, Holland, and Thailand, I committed my heart to the foothills of California. I earned a B.S. in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at UC Davis. While taking agriculture education classes, I fell in love with growing minds more than growing food, so here I am - a teacher!

Teaching Philosophy: My goal is to provide a safe, comfortable and inspirational space for students to grow and learn. By cultivating curiosity in my class, I encourage all students to become life long learners. As a class we focus on respecting each others' different types of knowledge and point of view to help both academic and social learning. I push students to go beyond memorization and really engage critically with content through exploration, inquiry and discussion.

Teaching middle schools means that the brains of my students are going through some of the biggest transformations since they were learning to talk and walk! My goal is to empower my students by giving them the tools and skills they need to manage their own choices and reactions appropriately. We practice self-directed learning so that students have choice about what they read and research. We also practice collaborative learning with a focus on empathy, listening, and respectful dialogue.

I believe that allowing young people to be their own best problem solvers is important to preparing them for a successful future. My goal is to push students to develop perseverance and grit by overcoming challenges. My classroom management style is informed by Love and Logic principals including natural consequences, empathy, and ensuring students are responsible for their choices.

I have an open door policy with parents and welcome all feedback and questions. I can always be reached by email or phone at school - though I may not return calls until 3pm.

Subjects I teach:
English Language Arts (writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary)
Reading
Math - Our school has adopted the Common Core State Standards aligned Engage New York math curriculum. I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math and Algebra.
Science - Due to the multiple grade levels in the class science rotates yearly between earth, life and physical science. 2015/2016 we are focusing on earth science.
Social Studies - Due to the multiple grade levels in the class social studies rotates yearly between ancient civilizations, the middle ages, and U.S. history. 2015/2016 we are focusing on Medieval and Early Modern Times though all 8th graders do a unit on the Constitution.
Geography
Physical Education