Welcome! This is my 21st year of teaching and my 16th year at EDCS. I feel fortunate to be working with such dedicated colleagues, our terrific students, and the supportive families of this community. As a teacher, I get to experience the joy of learning over and over. We have a saying in my room that we don't just have one teacher but a classroom full of teachers, because each day we learn and gain so much from each other!

I grew up in Southern California, where I received my Bachelor's Degree in Sociology/Art from University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), my Master's Degree in Language Development from Azusa Pacific University, and my teaching credential from California State University Los Angeles. In addition to my California teaching credential, I have a California Cross-cultural, Language, and Academic Development Certificate, and New Mexico Level III K-12 certification. I achieved National Board Certification in 2017 (Middle Child Generalist), which is the most respected professional certification avaiable in K-12 education. I hold five additional teaching endorsements in Gifted Education, Language Arts, Social Studies, TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Visual Arts.

I've taught grades 2nd-6th and middle school Humanities. I was honored to receive the Teachers Who Inspire award from my peers and Partners in Education in 2013. I'm deeply involved with the SF Opera-sponsored arts integration program ALTO, which supports student learning of academic subjects through the arts (Active Learning Through Opera; https://www.santafeopera.org/discover/learning/active-learning-through-opera ). I also collaborate with visiting artists in the classroom through the SFPS Artworks program (https://www.sfpartnersineducation.org ). Additionally, I am the school's Language Assistance Team Leader.

My husband, artist and educator Joel Nakamura, and I have two children (now ages 18 and 21) who both attended El Dorado Community School, K-8th grades. In my free time I enjoy hiking, working out, reading, and attending art and music events.