About the teachers

Hi! I am excited to be your child's 2nd-grade English teacher at Albert Einstein Academy this year. This will be my 14th year as an educator. I started my career teaching Kindergarten and continued to do so for 4 years. This will be my 10th year as a 2nd-grade teacher. I am excited and ready to begin this new adventure with your children! In my spare time, I enjoy flower arranging, yoga, and reading! 

Hello! I will be your child’s teacher for 2F. This marks my 15th year teaching 2nd grade, and my 17th year at AEA. I began my career here as a student teacher in Kindergarten. After that, I did a lot of subbing (K-8) as well as K-2 Math Support, and then a year as a Special Education Aide. I absolutely love 2nd grade, and I hope you and your child will too. 

My husband, John, and I welcomed our first child, Harriet, 8 years ago and she's starting 3rd Grade! She is pure joy and so happy to be at school with Mum. Penny is about to turn 5 and is now in Kindergarten! She is as sweet & spicy as can be. We also have a cat, Stevie.

I am looking forward to another wonderful year here at AEA!

Frau Brown

My name is Lara Brown.  I have lived in San Diego for over 40 years.  Before that I lived in London, England; Naples, Italy; Virginia (navy brat), and with my grandparents and family in Germany every summer and most other vacations.

 I graduated from UC Davis in 1991 and returned to San Diego.  I worked at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park for a number of years as a zookeeper before returning to school and getting my teaching credential and Master's of Education.  I taught at a French Immersion school for several years, and when I had my own children I started work at Die Rasselbande German immersion preschool, where I worked from 2006-2015.  I started teaching at AEA in 2015, but I was a regular volunteer in my two sons' classrooms starting in 2009.  

 On a personal note, I love nature photography, singing, playing piano and guitar, soccer, Tae Kwon Do, hiking and pretty much anything outdoors.  I have two children, 18 and 21, who are both attending college.  Mr. Brown and I will be celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary in October.

Hello! My name is Gerda Raedle, and I am thrilled to be your child's German language teacher this year at Albert Einstein Academy. I started at AEA in 2012, teaching second grade until I took the 2023-24 school year abroad in Germany. I’m so glad to be back at Albert Einstein and excited for the year ahead.

I was born in Bonn, Germany, and pursued my passion for teaching at the University of Kiel. From 2003 to 2012, I taught at Bruder Grimm Elementary School near Kiel before making the move to Southern California. I adore living here, with its unique June gloom and beautiful palm trees.

Outside of school, I enjoy taking walks in nature and along the beach, sleeping in, and reading. I also cherish spending time with my family and tend to stay away from social media. Fun fact: I’m not a fan of sweets!

I’m looking forward to making learning fun and engaging for your second grader this year!

Hallo und herzlich willkommen! My name is Desiree Kim and I am thrilled to be your 2nd Grade German teacher. 

I was born and raised in Cologne, Germany with friends from all over the world. Since I was always fascinated by different cultures and languages, I decided to become a teacher with the focus “Teaching German as a Second and Foreign Language”. After a couple of years of work experience in and around Cologne, I decided to accept one of my biggest challenges - moving abroad to China. I had the great opportunity to be part of two German schools (Changchun and Shanghai) and also decided to call Seoul, South Korea my new home.

After enjoying the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles for quite a while I now adore everything San Diego has to offer. 

If I´m not sharpening pencils or printing out worksheets I´m hanging at the stable (where my daughter takes horseback riding classes), spending time in the desert or being creative with canvas and oil paint.