My Why: 50 years
of experience and
5 grandchildren
I have spent my entire professional life in service
of the public school system.
I’ve been a teacher, vice principal and principal at schools across San Diego that spanned the socio-economic spectrum. I’ve worked at schools with highly affluent families and schools where 98% of the population was economically disadvantaged. I hold a masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction and have participated in research at Harvard to develop alternative and authentic student assessments. Additionally, I participated in leadership institutes and seminars at Columbia.
As a principal, my first job was at Mann Middle School in City Heights. This is where I saw first-hand the power of offering children the appropriate interventions and how this support could change their life trajectory. When I arrived at the school, there were 1,500 students enrolled, 98% of which were economically disadvantaged and 50% were English language learners. Assessment data from the previous year showed 80% of the students were performing below or far below grade level. That year, I implemented the following:
New professional trainings for teachers,
In-school math and reading supports for students,
After-school tutoring for students,
After school clubs, and
Accessed community resources for counselors and parents.
The following year, test results at Mann Middle School showed a 35 point improvement. The school still had a long way to go but this was a great start and by far the most challenging and rewarding year of my career.
Education is my passion. Sometimes my kids joke that they wish I would fully retire to hang out with my grandkids, all
of which are students in EUSD. But I still feel the call to serve. I currently sub as an interim principal when San Diego
Unified has a short-term vacancy, and when I’m not working I’m either taking my grandkids to the beach or the zoo,
hiking, reading, or traveling.