Dear Ocean Knoll Families,

My name is Jocelyn Leilani and I’m thrilled to be part of the Ocean Knoll family as your TRAC teacher! I was born and raised in Encinitas (Pacific View, Paul Ecke, Oak Crest, and SDA) and received my B.A. in Literatures of the World: Spanish and Italian, and Master of Education from  University of California, San Diego. I hold Single Subject Credentials in Spanish and Italian and a Multiple Subject Credential with a bilingual certification, I’m also TEFL-certified for English as a foreign Language and have an Administrative Services Credential.

I have had the opportunity to teach all grade levels from Kindergarten through High School. I was fortunate to spend a year writing bilingual curriculum for a middle school in Spain, and wrote and developed a three-year high school Italian program. This wide range of experiences has given me perspective on the essential components of education as well as the areas of need worldwide in the realm of Education. I strongly believe in the importance and the benefits of Social-Emotional Education starting from a young age, as I have witnessed countless students unable to learn because they don’t feel safe, heard, or cared about in their environment. 

I’m curious by nature, which may be why I’ve always had such a passion for traveling – a deep desire to see the world. My parents took me on my first road trip to Baja at age three and I’ve never stopped traveling. I love learning about and attempting to understand different cultures. I believe that there is so much to be learned from one another and that experiencing cultures different from our own expands our minds. I’ve now traveled to over 25 countries, and have lived, studied, and worked in Mexico, Brazil, Italy, and Spain. While I’ve always found my way back to Encinitas, each time it is with a wider worldview, and a deeper desire to make connections between my life here and the larger world. 

I’m also extremely blessed to be the mother of two incredible daughters who attend Ocean Knoll, London (4th grade) and Charlie (1st grade), and absolutely love everything that motherhood has brought to my life. I speak Italian, Spanish, and some Portuguese, and I chose to raise my girls bilingual, English-Italian. We live in Encinitas and feel lucky to be part of such an incredible community. As a family we enjoy traveling, getting outside, and being as active as possible (the beach, camping, swimming, hiking, cycling), cooking, reading, board games, and movie nights.  

I know from firsthand experience that there is an ever growing need for the Social-Emotional support the TRAC program offers, and just wish something like it existed when I was in school. We are all being pushed to new limits in terms of our ability to adapt, and readapt, while juggling constantly changing scenarios all around us. When we are able to regulate our emotions by recognizing the emotion, understanding the cause/trigger, correctly labeling, and expressing it appropriately, we are in turn able to identify and advocate for our needs in this ever changing world we live in.

I’ve found that, the more self-aware we can become through emotional regulation, mindfulness, and self-management, the more socially aware we will be, helping us find the space to have patience, grace, and compassion for those around us. My goal for my TRAC students this year is to empower each and every one of them with the tools to understand themselves deeper in order to be able to accept, appreciate, and understand the world around them and learn how to relate to it. 

I look forward to working with all the Ocean Knoll students and families!

Hugs,

Ms. Leilani