About the Teachers
1A Ms. Calhoun
I was born in the Philippines, came to America at age 7 and I grew up in San Diego. I graduated from University of California, Riverside with a major in English and minor in Education. From there, I acquired my teaching credentials and masters degree at National University in La Jolla, CA. I hold a Multiple Subject and an Education Specialist credential, as well as a Masters Degree in Special Education.
Once I received my credentials, I was a Education Specialist for K-2nd grade for 3 years in San Diego. I spent another 3 years as a general education teacher in kindergarten and 1st grade in Monterey County then moved back to San Diego to be closer to family.
With that said, I am so excited to be a part of such a dynamic first grade team! As a team of English and German teachers, students get twice the care, twice the learning, and twice the support.
Outside of school, I love to hike and travel. I love to experience the out doors and I enjoy spending time with family.
I look forward to working with your children! Please feel free to contact me at dcalhoun@aeacs.org.
1B Frau Schober
My name is Frau Schober and I’m looking forward to being a part of your child’s educational journey. I am a huge believer of international education and am thrilled to teach your child German. I believe that through the learning of different languages, children gain a unique perspective and deeper understanding of how the world works.
I’ve been interested in different languages for as long as I can remember. I earned my bachelor’s degree in French and my master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from San Diego State University. After marrying my German husband, we moved to Bavaria (Southern Germany), and throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to have taught in Germany, France, and San Diego. What I’ve learned over the years is that collaboration (between the parents, teachers, students, and the school) is the key to a successful learning experience.
When I’m not in the classroom, you can find me hanging out with my beautiful children and wonderful husband. I love cooking (and eating!), traveling, gardening, anything that allows me to play in the ocean, and reading.
1C Mrs. Crim
Originally from San Francisco, California, I followed the sunshine to finally settle in San Diego many years ago. I attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo where I majored in Liberal Studies. In college besides learning to be a teacher I competed on the crew team which allowed me to participate in the San Diego Crew Classic once a year. On those trips rowing in San Diego I learned two things. One is that I loved San Diego. I also discovered that I enjoyed and experienced the value of working on a team towards a common goal.
I eventually did make it back to San Diego to stay, but first I taught first grade at San Francisco Day School in San Francisco, then second grade at the Curtis School in Los Angeles and finally kindergarten at La Jolla Country Day School. My teaching experience has been in Independent Schools where students, parents, teachers, staff, administrators and Board of Trustees have very different but equally vital roles in creating a meaningful and rigorous curriculum for the success for all students. The flexibility of choosing effective curriculum and the team approach are just a few of the things that drew me to Einstein as a parent of three AEA students: Alexa (UCLA), Nolan (UCSB), and Henry (11th grade). I have been a first grade teacher for the last 8 years.
Learning, and playing happen to be what I love to do. When I am not at school, I love to read, play tennis and go to the beach with my family. I am a big baseball fan. While I will root for the home team, the Padres, the SF Giants are my favorite.
I am so excited to be in the classroom, and I am thrilled to work side by side with the amazing Andrea Tollison. I look forward to working on this team towards the common goal of providing a dynamic, engaging and rigorous curriculum for First Grade at Albert Einstein Academy. Feel free to contact me at mcrim@aeacs.org.
1F Frau Graetz
My name is Jennifer Graetz. Along with Mrs. Musto, I am looking forward to a successful school year for 1E and 1F. I am excited to guide and support your child's social and academic growth in First Grade. I was born and raised in Wernau, Germany, and I came to San Diego in the school year 2015/2016. I fell in love with AEA, San Diego, and the many beaches. Before working at AEA, I studied in Germany to become a teacher and taught there for four years as a classroom teacher in first and second grade. I love animals, and when I'm not with my students, I spend my time with my dog. I also foster dogs for a Dog Rescue in San Diego.
Please feel free to contact me at jgraetz@aeacs.org
1E Ms. Musto
Hello, my name is Mrs. Musto and I am an Englsh teacher on the first-grade team. I’m originally from Maryland and moved to San Diego with my family when I was younger. I love it here and decided to attend San Diego State University where I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology, Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and Master of Arts in Teaching: Language Arts.
After completing the credential program I taught Transitional Kindergarten in another school district before coming to AEA. AEA is a truly wonderful place and I am thrilled to be a part of this caring learning community. When I’m not in the classroom I enjoy crafting, reading, and hiking.
Teaching is my passion, and I believe that having a hand in helping to shape the future is a privilege. It is important to me to ensure that all students achieve academic success as well as feel valued and cared for. First grade is a special year where lots of engaging learning takes place. I can’t wait to meet each and every child and have a great school year.
Feel free to contact me at kmusto@aeacs.org
1D Frau Tollison
My name is Andrea Tollison and I am part of the first-grade team teaching German to your children. The German immersion program at AEA represents so much of who I am and what I love to teach. I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany and immigrated to the U.S. when I married my husband. I graduated from the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany with a teaching degree in English and German. I also hold a master’s degree in Education with a focus on second language learning from National University. I have two children and I strictly speak German to them and my husband does his share for English. It often results in a fun ”Denglish”. I have lived in the U.S. for many years and I still cherish close connections to my family and friends abroad. In my free time, I enjoy the beach, swimming, gardening, reading, and walks with my family. Weekends are often spent at soccer games, since both kids are enthusiastic soccer players. If you have any questions or concerns, never hesitate to reach out. I will be more than happy to assist you (atollison@aeacs.org).