Italian Beginning Level Conversation 4: Let's Travel to Italy- Parliamo Italiano

Aloha, parents and students.  I am a certified K-6 public school teacher and have taught all the grades, as well as art and art history, for 20+ years.  In addition to active teaching for elementary to middle school, I have managed Title 1 school programs and federal blended learning grants for flipped classroom approaches uniting technology with face to face learning.  

My teaching philosophy is that every child is valuable and can learn.  I implement meaningful, hands-on, creative, and flexible lessons.  I firmly believe that young minds need encouragement and vehicles for exploration, especially with enrichment with art, foreign language, sports, dance, drama, and music.  While I have a solid background to teach language and math from K-8, I love art and sharing my passion with children.  I, myself, have painted for over 25 years with a focus on drawing, watercolor, acrylic painting, collage, and abstraction (that is when the subject is vague in art, and it is unclear what the work is about).  In addition to a Bachelors in Elementary Education, I have a Masters in Art History.

I also can teach courses in foreign language.  I am proficient in French and Italian.  As an art history graduate and undergraduate student, I  studied both of these related romance languages.  While at the University of Texas at Austin (1990) and the University of Maryland (1994), I learned French and Italian up through the Intermediate level as these were minor areas of emphasis.  I also attended the Institute of Culture and Language in Florence as an exchange student.  I also was living with a host family on and off for a few years and travelled in Europe extensively, especially Southern Italy.  Over the years, I have been involved in Italian and French culture clubs where I continue to speak these languages with friends.  I love all things Italian such as cooking, fashion, movies, and art.  My dream is to travel to Italy again and see more areas such as Sicily.  

My teaching style encourages asking questions, exploring art materials, and inspiring growth through cultural connections and fun!   I give positive praises as I encourage students to meet their potential.

I was born and raised in Texas and moved to Hawaii over 20 years ago. I am a mother to a teenager and married for 18 years.  I love biking, walking, traveling, cooking, and art making.  My favorite artists are Georgia O'Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, Picasso, and Modigliani among many others.  I speak Italian, French, and know some Spanish and Korean, as well.