Welcome to 5th grade! I'm thrilled to be teaching with such wonderful students and in such a supportive community. I grew up in a small suburb of Chicago, Illinois where I earned my bachelor's degree from North Central College in Elementary Education and Spanish. As a junior in college, I was able to study abroad in Costa Rica for 3 months where I practiced speaking Spanish, attended classes, taught English, and enjoyed the beautiful nature and unique culture. Later, I earned my master's degree from Northern Illinois University in Educational Administration. After teaching 5th grade for 5 years in Itasca, Illinois, I moved to the South Bay. I began teaching at Hermosa Valley School in 2006. It is so refreshing to see that 5th graders are pretty much the same no matter in what part of the country you're teaching. They are enthusiastic, creative, and kind. I am very aware of the opportunity I have a teacher to act as an influential figure in a child's life, and I'm thrilled to do this for a living. OH, working 2 seconds from the beach makes my job a little better too! :)