My name is Ciarra Essert and I will be your child's special education teacher this upcoming 2023-24 school year! I am new to the district, coming from Carlsbad Unified School District with 3 years of experience in special education. I received my Master's degree in Special Education from CSUSM and my Master's Project was titled, "Alternative Pencils for Emergent Writers: A Writing Curriculum for Teachers of Nonverbal Students with Fine Motor Difficulties''. I love teaching English for its academic uses, but even more importantly, the opportunity it gives students to communicate with one another and to advocate for themselves! I also have experience using various learning models to engage students in Math, History, and Science.

I currently live in Vista and have lived in Southern California my entire life. I went through the San Marcos Unified school system and completed both my undergraduate and graduate degrees through CSUSM. In my free time I enjoy playing video games, doing arts and crafts, and playing competitive card games (e.g. Magic the Gathering). My favorite animal is also a hedgehog, and over the years of teaching I have collected a variety of hedgehog plushies and decorations that you will see decorating the classroom. :-) I endeavor to create a welcoming classroom for all of my students to learn, play, create meaningful connections, and advocate for themselves.

In our classroom we follow the "Mary Fay Pendleton Behavior Expectations" model set out for all students. (Press the link to the right to see the breakdown for our BRIDGE program)

1. Solve Problems

2. Show Respect

3. Make Good Decisions