Subjects: English, Careers, Jobs, Consumer Math, Stained Glass, Design Crafts, CTE Education Pathway, CTE Child Development Pathway
Other roles: Newsletter editor and publisher, Yearbook advisor, OPTA secretary and site representative
District Committees: Curriculum Council; Tech/AI Committee
Each student is welcomed just where they are in their education and personal development. I provide standards-based, student-centered, A-G certified courses to help each student develop at their own pace and in their own direction. Some students require support remediating academic gaps, some need opportunities to develop nascent talents and skills, others seek outlets to excel in what they already know and do. And these needs vary by day and subject!
We provide it all at Oak View!
The ever-changing needs of our students drives me to continue learning, growing, and evolving my practice. From advanced tech skills to social-emotional development, from cutting edge literacy learning to a revamped and expanded library, I work hard to present the best offerings available to our students. How can we expect students to become their best selves if we do not have the best on offer for them?
I teach several classes especially designed to prepare students for life after high school. Careers, a senior class, aids students in exploring post-secondary education and jobs. Consumer Math gives students vital practice in setting up their financial lives. CTE Child Development Pathway allows students to educate themselves on their own and their future children's stages of life. Jobs supports juniors in obtaining and maintaining employment. CTE Education Pathway provides students an opportunity to look into the wealth of careers in the education field.
First Place Winner
Ms. Robinson's Fine Arts Class & Student Self-Portraits
Bio: Born and raised in Centralia, Washington, I come from a family of teachers: my great-aunts (who taught at an iconic one-room school house), all of my aunts and uncles and both of my parents. It is in my blood to teach! I graduated high school with departmental honors in English and music and graduated from The Evergreen State College with a double-major in English and history as well as a teaching credential. After teaching in Washington, I moved to California and taught at Paramount High School before taking 12 years off to raise my daughters, who went to Oak Park schools. During this time, I was a basketball and softball coach, PTA mom (and president) at Brookside Elementary, and a community organizer assisting the district in creating the Oak Park Neighborhood School, our district's preschool program.
Then, Oak View called, and I am in my 26th year here. During this time, I have moved us from a bank of very old Apple computers to one-to-one laptops (over a decade before the rest of the district got them), moved our yearbook and newsletter online for both production and distribution, certified all English courses as college prep, and developed a college prep stained glass VPA course. Science teacher Hannah Robinson and I created a CTE Education Pathway course and I created a CTE Child Development Pathway course; the two pathways alternate years. Our team worked together to bring ThinkCERCA, an online writing/reading support program to students and vastly increased our classroom libraries. For the past two years, our teaching team has worked collaboratively to earn the Ventura County Office of Education Impact on Education Award for cross-curricular projects, and this past year, I earned the California Continuation Education Association Exemplary Program award for our Careers class and Teacher of the Year for District 2 ( Los Angeles, Kern, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties). During this time, I have come to know and love the students here; their honesty, bravery, curiosity, and hope fuel all that we do. The best part of the job has been learning and growing together.
In 2017, I earned my master's degree in educational psychology from the California State University at Northridge where I previously earned certification as an ERWC instructor (Expository Reading & Writing Curriculum). Other professional development has included a 2-year course in inquiry-based instruction, a 1-year course in peer mentoring, a fellowship with the UCI Writing Project, a 2-year program with VCOE in teacher leadership, and ongoing learning into the science of brain and learning. I have provided professional development offerings both within OPUSD and at the CCEA conference on various topics including educational technology and trauma-informed instruction.
I currently live in Thousand Oaks with my husband and cats and visit often with our grown children and their partners. Cooking, baking, gardening, knitting, reading, and puttering in my stained glass workshop take up my free time. I enjoy hiking and weightlifting as well as engaging in hot yoga to expand my practice of mindfulness and lifelong fitness. Looking forward to the years ahead at Oak View and enjoying every minute of that time with our wonderful staff and amazing students.