My Education
I live in Littleton now, though I am originally from the Conifer/Evergreen area. I graduated from Evergreen High School. Following high school, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University. In my senior year at CSU, I studied abroad in Santiago, Chile.
Shortly after starting my career as a bilingual teacher, I quickly chose to get a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. This was specifically for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education from Colorado University at Denver. My educational path has developed my passions of human development, education, cultures and languages!
My Teaching
This is my eighteenth year of teaching; wow, time does fly! I started my teaching career with Head Start in Santa Fe, NM. In Denver Public Schools, over the course of five years, I taught full and half-day kindergarten in English and Spanish. When I switched to Jefferson County, I taught English as a Second Language (ESL) at the middle school level for four years. In this experience, I enjoyed the opportunity to co-teach with science and social studies teachers.
Teaching kindergarten and middle school have given me the unique opportunity to understand where children start their educational experience and where they are headed as they enter their secondary education. As the Evergreen ESL teacher, I am able to apply these understandings to support and advocate for students across the grade levels. I am honored to work in Evergreen and continue my learning from and with some of the best educators in the state!
Additionally, working with our Evergreen international adoption families and community outreach programs has sparked new professional passions. I consider being an ESL teacher a unique opportunity to learn about the world through each of my students and families!
My Family and Hobbies
When I am not teaching, I love spending time with my children. My son, Tate, is six and my daughter, Marisol, will be eleven this fall. My little guy joined us this year in Bergen Meadow’s kindergarten! We enjoy many family activities including skiing, swimming and going on kid-friendly adventures! In the winter, we spend our weekends in Winter Park, since I love to snowboard. I also enjoy yoga, live music and traveling whenever possible. This past summer, we had a blast river rafting and visiting our local amusement parks!