My name is Lita Tayao and I am excited to be the ESL teacher for River Bend Middle School. I'm originally from the Philippines and grew up speaking Filipino/Tagalog and English. My family moved to the United States when I was a Junior in College. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Journalism with a concentration in Advertising from the University of Kansas.

After graduation, I moved to New York City to begin a career in Advertising. After experiencing the Advertising world for around 10 years, I decided to make a career switch as I wanted to work in an area that would make a difference in a child's development. I began my education career in 1993. I taught various grade levels (K - middle school) in San Francisco before moving to Wake County in 2005. I have a Master’s degree in Education and have a license to teach: K-6, ESL and Reading. I began teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in 2008. I love teaching AND learning from my students. Watching them grow and develop self-confidence has been and continues to be a rewarding experience.

​I got married in 2003. My husband and I are proud parents of a daughter attending college at ECU. In my spare time, I enjoy playing volleyball, taking walks, watching movies and reading. I am rekindling my interest in travel and hope to do more of it whenever it's possible.