“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” This idea from Mahatma Gandhi drives most of the work that my students create. My goal is to empower students to look critically at the world around them and to find ways to make a positive impact. What does it mean to be homeless? How can we make informed decisions about the food we eat? What are the ethical issues and contributions of first generation immigrants to California? These are some of the essential questions we have explored in Room 14.
Explorer’s emphasis on social emotional curriculum drew me to the school. Here I saw the power of relationships, and what amazing things can happen when students care about their work and about each other. Before coming to Explorer, I studied at UCSD, earning a B.A. in Communication, a Clear Multiple Subject Bilingual Teaching Credential, and a M.Ed. in Research, Equity, and Technology. I am grateful that I was able to make an impact by teaching in the community of National City for seven years. Teaching at Explorer for the past six years has been liberating, and I am thrilled to be able to teach students in ways that prepares them to be active participants in our democratic society. I am also excited to continue to grow as an educator in the HTH Graduate School of Education, where I am currently pursuing a second Master's Degree in Education, with an emphasis on Teacher Leadership.
My love of travel brought me to Japan to teach high school English in 2004, which brought together some of the things I love: new places, new languages, and a lot of good food! When at home, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Rob, and my son Colby, who will be a first grader at Explorer this year!
Ron Carter
There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, "Morning, boys, how's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, "What the heck is water?"
Older fish = Teacher Younger fish = Students Water = knowledge
This is why I became a teacher. Knowledge is power, but you can only gain that power through education. I love helping students gain that power.
I’ve been fortunate enough to teach for 14 years.
Wait…14 years?! Sorry, I just remembered how old I am and it freaked me out for a second.
As I was saying, I’ve been teaching for a pretty long time. I’ve taught in a town that had only one stop light and we played a game of basketball while riding donkeys. I have also taught in a bigger town with great pizza yet oddly enough nicknamed after a piece of fruit. But regardless of where I taught or the students I worked with, one thing remains the same: water.
I’m excited to share my experiences and knowledge with you. I look forward to you sharing your experiences and knowledge with me. Along the way, we’ll laugh and smile a lot. We’ll dance, sing, and I'll even rap. We’ll ask a ton of questions, get a bunch of answers, and find ourselves asking more questions. But together, we’re going to learn so much more about the world we live in and how we can make it (and us) better!