4th Grade Teaching Team

I began teaching in 2005 here in San Carlos - this is the start of my 19th year with the district. I have been teaching 4th grade for 17 years, wow! I taught at Brittan Acres for 12 years where I primarily taught 4th grade (with one year teaching 3rd/4th combination and one year teaching 3rd). I love having the opportunity to be collaborative as a teacher, and was lucky enough to convince Jen Heinschel to jump on board to 4th grade. She and I have been teaching partners for the last eight years. We get the opportunity to share students and meet our students’ needs with a rich and team-focused learning environment. Teaching brings me the most joy when I see kids realize their potential is limitless - that’s when magic truly happens!

 

Fourth grade has been my absolute favorite grade level to teach. Kids make so many strides academically in 4th grade, their creativity is astounding, and the curriculum is challenging but also a lot of fun to teach!

 

My husband and I are peninsula natives! Together we have two kids - my son is in 6th grade and my daughter is in 3rd grade. We love having time together going for walks with our dog, playing at the park, riding bikes, and swimming. I love to be outdoors enjoying some beautiful scenery and the warm sunshine. When I’m not in mom and teacher mode, I try to get some exercise in, read a book that has been on my long overdue list, or catch up on a Netflix series.

 

The start of a new school year brings a lot of excitement and wonderful, fresh experiences.

 

This is the start of my 21st year of teaching - I started teaching in the San Carlos School District and I’ve never left! I taught 3rd grade at Brittan Acres for about 10 years (with a 2/3 and 3/4 combination class thrown in there) and then transitioned to 4th grade where I was able to partner with Kelly Earlywine. We’ve taught 4th grade collaboratively for the last ten years and we love working together to meet the needs of our students. It’s the absolute best when you see the ‘lightbulb’ go on when you’re teaching, and when you see students start to nurture different passions within their own lives.

 

Fourth grade was one of my favorite years as a student in school (but, wow, I sure I wish I had learned math the way we teach it now!) and it’s by far my most favorite grade to teach! Students are really starting to develop their independent thinking and take their ideas to a higher level. There’s a wide variety of interests and skills - and 4th graders are just plain fun to talk with! I majored in journalism in college and love to teach writing and share my love of all things grammar to my students (they don’t always share my enthusiasm!). Reading is one of my absolute favorite ways to spend time, and you’ll find me ready to talk Harry Potter any time, any day.

 

My family is the most important part of my life. My husband and I have two kids. My daughter is 14 and my son is 12. While I can’t believe that my daughter started high school and my son is going into 7th grade, they make me proud every day. We have a dog (a result of me chaperoning my daughter’s Girl Scout troop to Pets in Need a few years ago) and a cat (who doesn’t really like the dog), a rabbit (thanks to a persuasive, researched presentation by my kids), and two birds. Yes, it’s a zoo! We love to spend time in our backyard barbecuing by the creek.

 

Ever since I started school, I’ve always loved the beginning of each year. School supply shopping was a favorite, with new pencils, a binder, folders, and erasers being just about the best thing ever. There’s something special about a fresh, new start every year - for both teachers and students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m so excited to be joining SCSD and to begin teaching at Mariposa! My teaching career began in Cupertino Union School District in 2006. Since then I’ve taught 3rd and 5th grade as well as 4/5 combo. I’ve loved my time teaching in Cupertino, and I’m ready now to join a new community that’s closer to my home in Redwood City where I live with my wife, Tristan, young sons, Piers and Reed (10 and 8), and Champers (adorable).

 

I’m a Bay Area native having grown up mostly in Portola Valley. I was also lucky enough to live in Brussels and Geneva for several years. Having always been engaged with music and the arts, I attended Rhode Island School of Design where I majored in film and video but also spent time working with 2D and 3D mediums as well as making music in a band. I still enjoy making art and music as well as spending time outdoors (hiking, camping, fishing, skiing, and surfing). My older son Piers is becoming an avid surfer and is a great surf buddy!

 

I went into teaching for the same reason as most: to make a positive difference in the world. Education is a wonderful field because success isn’t measured just by personal accomplishment. It’s measured by others’ success - students’ success! It’s this sense of shared accomplishment that motivates and inspires me to teach from the heart and be a lifelong learner. I can’t think of a better place to continue on this path than Mariposa!