Meet the Teacher

Nice to meet you.

Hello! This is my 14th year at Valley Oaks, and my 19th year teaching (wow, where did the time go!). I love science! I love the questioning and curious nature of science. I love the learning process as well as observing how others have found answers to their questions. I love how science helps create moments of awareness that help us to see the interconnectedness of our world. Most of all, I love spending time with students, seeing the excitement in their faces as they make a new connection or discover something new.

Teaching Experience

I graduated from UCLA with a B.S. degree in Physiology. After that, I spent 6 years in Digestive Disease Cancer Research in the Department of Medicine at UCLA. When I realized that what brought me the most joy was working with students, I went back to school at Claremont Graduate University for a Masters in Education.

- M.A. Education - Claremont Graduate University
- B.S. Physiological Science - UCLA
- Single-Subject Clear Credential - Sciences
- Career Technical Education Clear Credential - Education
- Code.org Certificed AP Computer Science Principals teacher

Teaching Philosophy

I believe in the creation of a society which treats human beings as embodiment of the sacred, supports them to realize their fullest human potential, and promotes and rewards people to the extent that they are loving and caring, kind and generous, open-hearted and playful, ethically and ecologically sensitive, and tend to respond to the universe with awe, wonder and radical amazement at the grandeur of creation. I believe that education can serve a critical role in providing disadvantaged children with life opportunities, and I am deeply motivated to help break cycles of poverty, inequality, marginalization, and discrimination through the promotion of academic excellence.

I am committed to building strong classroom communities that offer groundbreaking curriculum, thought-provoking projects, and a healthy environment where students can develop physically, emotionally, psychologically, and cognitively. I am committed to helping each student realize his or her potential. By actively meeting each student where he or she is at, I hope to elicit the motivation necessary for academic success.

I aspire as a Science teacher to use the classroom as a forum to encourage a willingness to explore creative ways of learning. I hope to engage them actively, allowing them to voice and express any frustrations they may have about learning. I believe that when students have a voice in the education process, they become more engaged and motivated to participate. When students are encouraged to think for themselves, they become more autonomous and learn to solve problems in more creative ways.

Teaching Philosophy on Science

Challenge students to not only question the world, but think “outside the box”
Use phenomena-based teaching and provide authentic learning experiences to foster curiosity
Engage in real world problem-solving using the case studies or hands on learning
Use children’s natural curiosity about the world to drive units
Motivate and inspire students through labs, debates, discussions, technology, cooperative learning, projects, field trips, and creativity
Always ask WHY and HOW?