Ever since I began teaching in 1999, I've always been a champion for change in the way curriculum is designed and taught. The freedom to develop curriculum based on my students and my own interests drew me to Synergy. Over the years I've developed a passion for bringing environmental studies to my students. I enjoy teaching them about the Earth, its landforms, oceans, and life cycles. Those interests have grown into school garden programs at Synergy. What I love about teaching is encouraging my students to express what they know, challenging them to think critically about new information, and helping them connect the dots along the way. It's amazing to watch how their minds grow and develop when these connections are made.

I have been a part of the Synergy community for many years now. My son was a Young K student who graduated in 2013 and my daughter graduated in 2015. I volunteered in their classrooms, drove to many field trips, and eventually became a substitute teacher. In 2014, I was hired to work in the front office and it allows me to continue to support this wonderful school. My background in both the legal and athletic education fields affords me a unique perspective to bring to this community.

I began working at Synergy in September 1999. I have taught kindergarten with Rita Franklin my entire time at Synergy. I believe kindergarten is a very unique year in school for children. I really enjoy watching children learn, grow, and become responsible and confident during our time together.

I grew up in what was a small town in Somerset County, New Jersey and I loved it.  I spent much of my early childhood catching salamanders and frogs, riding my bike around the paths and streets of my town, walking miles to fishing holes, and creating explosions with makeshift science kits.  As I have aged, I expanded that exploration of my environment to the world at large, spending many months of my life hiking, biking, kayaking, and camping throughout the planet. I find that travelling resets my world-view and reinvigorates my desire to help make this a better place for us all.

I liked math as a student, but struggled with memorizing my times tables and suffered through all of the rote practice worksheets we had. I love math as an adult and have come to see it as an innate human language. All of us are capable of learning to read, write, and speak it, but we all learn to do so at different rates. I support the educational ideals of the Common Core State Standards, which help created more developmentally appropriate grade level standards, as well as broadening access to math by emphasizing a variety of modalities and processes for accessing math. Prior to joining Synergy in 2016, I spent several years working on developing pieces of the SFUSD's new mathematics curriculum. Despite my recent personal focus on mathematics, I am passionate about all areas of our curriculum.

Learning is a life-long passion for me and I have a BA in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis, an MBA from NYU, and have finished all the coursework for an MA in Mathematics at SFSU. Teaching is my third career: publishing/distribution, volunteer recruiting, then teaching. I taught in the SFUSD for for 12 years, with a one year break teaching middle school math at Megan Furth Academy. I was thrilled to have been invited to join the Synergy community as the middle-school mathematics teacher and could not be happier to be here.

I started my teaching career in San Francisco public schools in 1998. In 2004, I came to Synergy School to teach 1st and 2nd grade. It was a change from years of 4th and 5th graders, but I soon grew fond of teaching younger students. I help to lay the foundation and watch how it is built upon as the children grow up around me. It is a remarkable feeling, and a rewarding experience to be there at the beginning and see success at the end.

I am thrilled to join the Synergy community. I have been working with youth my entire career, from teaching basket weaving as a camp counselor in my teenage years, to teaching English Language Arts in both high school and middle school, to spending the last five years engaging San Francisco 7th graders in project-based science. It is my belief that students find the most success in school when they know that they and their experiences are valued and affirmed, and that their learning is relevant and empowering.

I hold a BA in English from The University of Iowa (my home state!) and am currently pursuing an MS in Science Education through Montana State University, focusing my research on critical place-based pedagogy. In my scant but precious free time, I enjoy being in the mountains, the desert, or the woods… anywhere I can see all the stars and hear nothing but the wind.

 

Being from a sprawled and disconnected suburb of Los Angeles, I was drawn to community centered and compassionate San Francisco, 10 years ago. Knowing that I had a passion for books and reading anything I could get my hands on, I quickly began immersing myself into various literacy programs around the city. As soon as I was able to confidently strengthen a student’s skills in reading, spelling, writing, comprehension and language, I knew I had found my dream job. The most exciting and unique takeaway is seeing a student’s insecurities begin to melt away and replaced with confidence and curiosity. I love going to workshops, lectures and refreshing my knowledge when it comes to learning differences, strategies and advocacy.

My other passions would include traveling and getting to appreciate different cultures, cooking in my tiny San Francisco kitchen and swimming in the beautiful Yuba river. I’m honored and grateful to be a part of the progressive and proactive Synergy community.

I first came to Synergy in 2001, drawn by the school’s philosophy of social justice and personal responsibility. I love to see my students grow and gain confidence in their abilities. I have also been fortunate to send my two children to Synergy (Class of 2005 and Class of 2011), and have watched as they benefited from such a nurturing environment. Previously, I was the executive director of a non-profit organization in San Francisco, providing gang intervention, academic, recreational, and social services to at-risk youth and their families. In that capacity, I was the recipient of the Western Addition Unsung Hero Award and the Willie Brown Youth Task Force Agency Award. In 2016, I assumed the role of Synergy’s Director of Finance and Operations. It has allowed me to come full circle while having the best of both worlds – working with spreadsheets and stakeholders and teaching my students.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”  For me, it’s important to be more than the change. It’s important to also have the most impact – that’s why I’m a teacher. I love teaching social studies and history and pushing my students to think critically, to stretch their thinking, and to look at different points of view. I also love teaching math and science; nothing is more gratifying than to see my students make new discoveries and connections in their learning.

I became a Synergy teacher in 2000 because of its social and environmental justice mission, the shared responsibility of the teachers’ cooperative, and the freedom to develop curriculum. It fit my goals as a teacher, having completed the nationally known Teacher Training Course at the Shady Hill School, a program that believes the development of the person is the most important element in the education of a teacher. I also received my bachelor’s degree in English from Cornell University, and my Masters in Education from Lesley University.

My wife, Kat, and I love living in San Francisco and are constantly inspired by its beauty and the many places around the Bay to enjoy nature. We are avid birders and sailors, and parents to Emerson, our rescue terrier.

I always knew I would be a teacher even as a child. Perhaps it was because I had great teachers growing up, women and men who knew me, cared for me, and encouraged me.

I began as a preschool teacher, and then became a preschool director at the Audrey L Smith Developmental Center in San Francisco, and later at the Cross Cultural Family Center in the city, serving low-income families of color. In 1993, the decision to send my two young boys and later my daughter to Synergy was an easy one, but the decision to become a kindergarten teacher here six years later was not. I felt my families in the poorest areas of the city needed me. I later came to realize that the students of Synergy needed me too; it was important for them to see and learn from teachers of color.

However, my commitment to the poorest segments of the city remains strong. In addition to teaching at Synergy and taking on the role of Director of Admissions and Curriculum in 2010, I was a consultant to First Five California, the state’s health and education program for children. In that capacity, I helped guide program development and held workshops for teachers on kindergarten readiness. Currently, I sit on the board of the Cross Cultural Family Center and Mission Neighborhood Centers, and lobby Congress to fund programs for low-income health centers.

My religion is also important to me. As a member of the San Francisco Christian Center, I teach Sunday school, serve as a greeter at my church, attend bible study regularly, and help lead the center’s Daughters of Destiny group.

 

Trained in journalism, photography, and IT/Web development, I gladly accepted the role of Synergy’s first Director of Technology in 2006. My efforts include planning, deployment, and supporting the technology needs of the staff and students to help realize their common goals. With the support of the board, the co-op, and the parent technology committee, the school is evolving its tech uses with thoughtful purpose.

I’ve also been a proud parent here since 2005. The community continues to amaze me with its dedication to providing a loving, supportive, and inclusive place where young minds are inspired to grow.

I have been teaching at Synergy since 1988. I currently am teaching the 4th and 5th graders and taught 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders at our Grove Street site. Working at Synergy has taught me a huge amount about myself and how the wonderful minds of children work. Being able to laugh with children and my colleagues at work is a gift that I don’t think I could have in any other job.

I grew up right over the Golden Gate bridge, but I attended college in Ohio at Denison University and finished my degree at Prescott College in Arizona. My undergrad work includes adolescent education, outdoor education with the National Outdoor Leadership School, and gender studies. All of these have instilled in me a deep passion for equality, environmentalism, and social justice. When I am not in the classroom, I work as a bookseller at Black Bird Bookstore in the Outer Sunset, but outside of work I am an avid reader, hiker, and road tripper with my dog Charlie!