About Mrs. Gaines

Hello! Hello! Hello! My name is Mrs. Gaines (formerly known as Miss Pepper). I started teaching at SCS back in Fall 2016. That would make this my fifth year! Now let's see how I got here...

I come from a long line of teachers: my mom, brother, grandma, and aunt have all been or are currently teachers all around Oregon. My mom was a big influence on me wanting to become a teacher myself. When I was a senior at Lakeridge High School I would go to her 3rd and 4th grade classroom down the street to help out after I was done with my classes for the day. It was such a great experience that I decided to study elementary education at the University of Oregon the following year. I graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Educational Foundations with a minor in Special Education. Unfortunately my program didn't offer a teaching license with the major, so I was off to graduate school! Just one week after I walked in my cap and gown, I was sitting in my first class at Lewis and Clark College. There I received my Masters of Arts in Teaching for Elementary Education in June of 2012.

After graduation, I got my feet wet and substitute taught for a year. I wasn't shy about taking any job I could; I even taught foreign languages that I couldn't speak and just tried my best. It was a great experience to be able to try out every subject and grade level. The thing I learned best about myself, was that I was comfortable with all ages. The most rewarding lesson was learning to think on my feet and be more flexible in all situations.

Although it was a fun year, I craved having my own classroom. The next Fall, I began working at Summa Academy, in SW Portland. They were in their first year as a start up private school and I was ready for the challenge. The first year I taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade; yes, you read that correctly. I taught three grades altogether. The second and third year I taught 6th, 7th, and 8th altogether. It was a wild and fun experience working for Summa, but in the Spring of 2016, I decided to change the course of my journey, and I applied for other jobs.

I bet you can guess what happened next, right? I interviewed with Sherwood Charter School in June 2016 and received an offer to teach 5th grade for the following Fall. Now, here I am!

Working at Sherwood Charter School has been an amazing experience. I think my favorite part of it though has to be going with Mrs. Stuckey to outdoor school every year with the kids.

A little update on me though: I got married to my wonderful husband, Kyle, on March 14th, 2020 (right before quarantine happened). We are now expecting our first kiddo in December of 2020. Also, it's a girl! Her name is Hallie Grace Gaines. Our dog (Gidget) and three cats (Smokey, Bandit, & Oscar) can't wait to meet her!

That is just a little sneak peak into the life of Natalie Gaines. Hope you enjoyed!