About Me
I am a local! I grew up in the Santa Clarita Valley before it was called the Santa Clarita Valley. I went to Vista Valencia Preschool, Wiley Canyon Elementary, Placerita Jr. High and Hart High School. I won a small college scholarship for future educators who had parents working in the Hart District. My Mom was a teacher at several schools in the district. She finished her career as a counselor at Sierra Vista. After high school I attended San Diego State University which was not such a big change. I went from being a red and black Hart Indian to a red and black Aztec. I earned my multiple subject credential, CLAD, and single subject credential over the course of many years. I graduated with a Master's Degree in Educational Counseling from The University of La Verne in January of 2017.
I started teaching in 1994 at Pinetree Elemenatry School in Canyon Country. I taught Kindergarten and First Grade for 7 years before staying home to raise my son, Jonathan, whom I adopted at birth. Being a Mom is my favorite job, but the pay was not so great. When the housing bubble popped in 2007, I headed back to teaching and back to school. I taught Teen Issues at Rio Norte for a semester before I was hired to teach math and ASB at Arroyo Seco. I taught at Seco for 6 years and was honored to be named Teacher of the Year in 2011. When my son wanted to attend Hart High School to play football, I decided to follow him across town. We bought a home in Newhall and I started teaching at Placerita (my Alma-mater) in 2014.
Students in my math class learn many things. Along with the Common Core Math Standards and the Math Practice Standards, they learn that I have high expectations for them as learners and members of the community. I want my students to believe in themselves because I believe in them, and I want them to be problem solvers not just calculators. At the secondary level, I have taught Math 7, Math 8, Algebra AB, Algebra ABC, Pre-Algebra, Strategic Math, Student Government, Teen Issues, Health and a summer school math class called Bridge To Algebra.
My hope is to keep my students active, on task, and motivated. Not every child loves math, so I try to make it fun. I teach directed lessons that incorporate technology, group discussions, projects, games and videos. Being a teacher is an awesome joy and responsibility, and I love helping students reach their potential. Thank you for sharing this journey with me.
I started teaching in 1994 at Pinetree Elemenatry School in Canyon Country. I taught Kindergarten and First Grade for 7 years before staying home to raise my son, Jonathan, whom I adopted at birth. Being a Mom is my favorite job, but the pay was not so great. When the housing bubble popped in 2007, I headed back to teaching and back to school. I taught Teen Issues at Rio Norte for a semester before I was hired to teach math and ASB at Arroyo Seco. I taught at Seco for 6 years and was honored to be named Teacher of the Year in 2011. When my son wanted to attend Hart High School to play football, I decided to follow him across town. We bought a home in Newhall and I started teaching at Placerita (my Alma-mater) in 2014.
Students in my math class learn many things. Along with the Common Core Math Standards and the Math Practice Standards, they learn that I have high expectations for them as learners and members of the community. I want my students to believe in themselves because I believe in them, and I want them to be problem solvers not just calculators. At the secondary level, I have taught Math 7, Math 8, Algebra AB, Algebra ABC, Pre-Algebra, Strategic Math, Student Government, Teen Issues, Health and a summer school math class called Bridge To Algebra.
My hope is to keep my students active, on task, and motivated. Not every child loves math, so I try to make it fun. I teach directed lessons that incorporate technology, group discussions, projects, games and videos. Being a teacher is an awesome joy and responsibility, and I love helping students reach their potential. Thank you for sharing this journey with me.