About Me

Welcome to my world.  I was born and raised in Samoa (not American Samoa, Somalia, or Hawaii) as most Americans have associated me with.  I went to private schools from K-12, and, yes, I proudly wore my uniform.  All school on the islands wore uniforms, so it wasn't a political football as we know it today.  I then went to the Fiji Islands, and, yes, I was in a private college and also wore uniforms to school.  It was a white shirt with lavalava (wraparound).  I studied Theology and loved it.  I got married and moved here 30 years ago in hopes of pursuing my dream of becoming a minister.  Things unravelled and marriage ended up in divorce with two kids that I raised on my own.  It was then that I decided to go back to school to become a teacher after years of construction.  My decision to go back to school was the best example that I gave my kids (Chante 28, and Timothy 21) and a good career that enabled me to earn a living.  I remarried eight years ago and I could never have been happier.  I have worked as a teacher for Escondido Adventist Academy, El Camino High in Oceanside, Vista Focus Academy with Vista Unified, and my current job with the San Diego County Office of Education for the past eight years. 
This class has proven to be a challenge and I welcome that.  I may be the least proficient student in technology and I hope I will be up to speed before going into the Special Ed program in the Fall.  Technology has always been a challenge, especially on navigating the Apple products.  I have been successful though in using technology in my classroom because I know a lot more than my students, and because we have an outstanding technology team who respond to all the requests and help with tech in a timely manner. 
The college mission statement mirrors that of my school district.  The part that applies to me is equality and diversity.  We have a widening gap in achievement between students of color and white students.  As a school district, we must do all that we can to ensure that all students-regardless of color-have equal access to education.  We must also make sure that opportunities are afforded to students of color so we can narrow the achievement gap.  This has been my goal and wholeheartedly support the mission statement.