About

Background

I grew up in Seattle and lived in Los Angeles for 12 years before moving to Hawaii 20 years ago. I earned a Bachelors in Fine Art from Otis College of Art and Design (formerly Otis/Parsons) in Los Angeles, and a Masters in Education from Chaminade, Honolulu. I have taught art at Sacred Hearts Academy for 11 years and have a total of 14 years teaching art to kids. I absolutely love my job and feel like this is what I am meant to do.

Many people don't know that before teaching Art, I taught Kindergarten and First grade. I also taught Preschool, and several different classes at the Honolulu Academy of Art. Additionally, I have spent many summers at Hanahau'oli (where I also did my student teaching). Before teaching, I was a graphic designer and Photographer.

My favorite drawing medium is oil pastels because the colors are so rich. I also love ceramics and any type of sculpture. But, photography continues to be my main artistic passion. The slideshow below is a sample of some of my photography. What is your passion?

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Philosophy and Mission

High Expectations, Love, and Humor

As an Elementary Art Teacher, I strive for a balance between skill mastery and personal expression. My management style is a combination of high expectations with love and humor. Because I am a role model, it is important to me to demonstrate respect and develop relationships with my students and their families. I enjoy providing experiences that are meaningful to my students, and watching their self-esteem grow. My goal is to get kids to see that they are artists and each have a unique voice.

Besides creativity, visual art uses many 21st Century Skills, including problem solving. At every turn, a decision must be made. Kids learn from doing hands-on work and experimenting. In today’s over-scheduled world, children are too often told what to do, when and how. My mission is to value their creativity, and help them trust themselves. I also strive to instill diligence and patience in my students; in this fast-paced culture dominated by technology and instant gratification, what better lesson to learn? Through projects that are designed to be long, students learn the satisfaction of working hard on something and finishing it with pride

"Mistakes" Are an Opportunity to Grow, or Go With the Flow

My room has a sign with a quote by Bob Ross that says, "We don't make mistakes, just happy accidents" because sometimes what we do by accident is actually better than what we intended! It's a nice lesson to learn to be flexible and see the positive in something. Other times we may feel frustrated, and need to push through and find another solution This is a great opportunity for growth, maturity, flexibility and innovation.