About Us
Kelly
I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a Minor in Mathematics from San Diego State University. I worked for a reading intervention program while completing my undergraduate studies. I also taught after-school science enrichment courses designed to make the content fun and engaging for gifted students. I have always enjoyed working with students that do not fit “in the box.”
As I earned my teaching credential, I was lucky to work with students in second, third, and fifth grade classroom settings. I enjoyed working with students at each of the different grade levels. I spent a lot of time developing my own materials to help both struggling and gifted students during this time. I really began to enjoy putting activities together that helped my kids gain a better understanding of the content we were covering.
I began working for a K-12 homeschool program as an educational consultant after earning my credential and I have been working at the same school for the past 11 years. Early on, I worked with students of all grade levels and in all subject areas. Working with such a broad spectrum helped me to realize that my favorite area of focus was math. This realization pushed me to earn a Master’s degree in K-8 Math Education at San Diego State University.
During the summers, I worked for several different programs in order to gain additional experience with students in special settings. I have taught English, history, and culture to foreign exchange students. I also worked with gifted learners who were exploring their interests in science.
The flexibility in my workplace allowed me to develop resources and trainings for parent-teachers focused on teaching mathematics in a variety of ways. I really enjoyed working with students of all grade levels, but I found that my strength was working with high school students. This prompted me to work towards earning supplementary authorizations to teach high school math, science, and history in special settings. I have also worked as a high school math teacher in traditional school.
My current job position involves working with students and parents across all grade levels through a homeschool and independent study program.
My experiences have helped me to understand that education can take a variety of forms and that each learner is different from the next. I believe that educational resources should be flexible so that educators can modify them for their students.
I live in San Diego with my husband, Greg, and our son. We will have a new addition in a few months as well. When I am not working on developing new resources, I am most likely trying really hard to get a nap.
Diane
After graduating from the University of San Diego in 2001 with a degree in Diversified Liberal Arts, I began teaching at a non-public school for students with learning disabilities and social/emotional disorders. I taught high school English and math, which were subjects completely out of my comfort zone after having student-taught in first grade. Mid-year, a teacher was let go and I was asked to take over her middle school (6th/7th) classroom for the remainder of the year.
The following year, I moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland where I taught 3rd grade for two years in a racially and economically diverse public school.
I then moved back to San Diego where I taught 2nd and 3rd grades (looping classroom) for two years in a school with a high population of English Language Learners and economically disadvantaged students. I earned my Master of Arts in Education from Chapman University with a Reading Certificate.
Following that I moved to Ventura, California, where I was hired by a family to become a private homeschool teacher for an emotionally disturbed 4th grader.
The next year I once again found myself on the move, this time to Orange County, California, where I worked as an ABA (Applied Behavioral Analyst) therapist for children with developmental disorders, such as autism. I worked in home and school settings and learned a lot about behavior management and coaching parents.
I eventually made the choice to settle down for good in San Diego in 2008, where I landed a job in a charter school as an educational consultant, working with K-12 homeschooled students and their families. I love my current job because I get to work with kids of all ages and families with different educational philosophies. In addition to consulting with families, I teach on-site enrichment classes and monitor several online high school courses.
I have a passion for developing curriculum that works for both “in” and “out-of-the-box” learners. I love working in a personalized learning setting because I realize that one size definitely does not fit all when it comes to education.
I live just outside of San Diego with my husband, Brian, my 18-year old stepson, our newborn son, and one crazy dog. When I’m not working or developing curriculum, I enjoy reading, writing, baking, and travel.
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