Specialist Faculty

I am excited to be teaching in a multilingual and multicultural school. After learning a second language and participating in a study abroad program, I found a passion for language and culture. Working at TIS allows me to teach in my native language while also supporting foreign language education. Each day, I find myself inspired by the children and families of the TIS community. I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful place to work!

After spending many rewarding years working in social services, I decided to pursue teaching. Teaching allows me to guide and support my students in their discoveries of life and learning. The best part of my day is when a student has a “light bulb moment” and the understanding spreads across their face with a big grin. As a writer at heart, I truly look forward to the stories each child has to tell as they become budding authors in their own right.  Having studied abroad in Japan in my own youth, I love the cultural exchange of ideas and languages. It is exciting to be a part of a school like TIS so rich in diversity and creativity. As a parent and a teacher, I am constantly reminded of how wonderfully genuine and imaginative kids are, especially when given unique opportunities to experience the world at their fingertips.

I recently returned to Portland after spending two years living and teaching in Shanghai, China.  While in China I had the opportunity to be a part of a diverse international community and I look forward to continuing to experience the joys of multicultural education at The International School.  Before living in China, I taught at elementary schools in Portland for several years.Reading and writing have always been a big part of my life, from my background in journalism to teaching young children.  I enjoy helping students form a passion for reading and show their creativity through their writing.When I’m not teaching I enjoy traveling and exploring Oregon with my family.

I am delighted by the opportunity to join the community at TIS and teach in an environment that is inquiry-based and reflective of such a rich global culture. I started my teaching career in Bend, Or in 2006. Since then, I’ve spent my summers living in other countries learning about the culture, the language and local education systems. These international experiences directly affected my vision of the world and how I approach the learning process. The word education, in its Latin root, means to “draw forth” what’s already inside of us; with that in mind, I desire to cultivate a creative, effective, and inclusive educational environment where students thrive and discover the richness of learning.

It is with great joy and enthusiasm that I re-join the TIS community this year.  I have recently returned from Japan where I taught English as a participant in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program.  My experience abroad widened my perspective and inspired me as a teacher.  I am honored to continue to be a part of multi-lingual education here at The International School.

Portland’s own Beverly Cleary claims, “Children should learn that reading is pleasure, not just something that teachers make you do in school.”  My goal as an English Specialist at TIS is to be a purposeful and innovative teacher who maintains a classroom environment where students will cultivate curiosity, responsibility, and kindness while building a foundation for lifelong learning as confident readers and writers.

I am thrilled to be a part of such a dynamic group of teachers committed to creating a rich learning environment that celebrates multicultural understanding. I have 20 years experience working with children from diverse countries and socio-economic backgrounds. For 10 years I lived in Mexico City with my husband and three children. There I spent six years teaching at the primary level. We are happy to be back in the U.S. and I am especially content to go to work every day in such an international environment!

The part I like most about being a librarian is finding just the right book for a reluctant reader and seeing his or her eyes light up with excitement as he or she later recounts their favorite parts of the book to me. The very, very best part is when he or she asks for another book! I have fond memories of sitting in a small classroom in Sweden as an eighteen-year-old surrounded by classmates from Iran, Turkey, Britain, Chile, Canada, and other countries, as we as a group took on the task of learning the Swedish language. It was an exciting time for me. I continue to value this gift of a broader cultural awareness and understanding. Working at The International School is an exciting opportunity for me to combine my work as a librarian with my love of languages and other cultures.

I am thrilled to begin working at TIS, immersed in a dynamic international environment and surrounded by a supportive community.  I believe passion is contagious; I love spreading enthusiasm for art to my students, and engaging with them in the creative process.  My career as an art educator began in Chicago where I was an AmeriCorps volunteer, starting art programs in four inner-city schools.  From 2007-2009 I was the art specialist for Munich International School in Germany.  After that, I lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina while I concentrated on creating my own artwork, volunteering, and traveling throughout the country.  The Pacific Northwest is a new part of the world for me; I am looking forward to exploring and making it home!

I became interested in learning about different cultures after living in the Boston area. Upon returning to my native Brazil, I brought with me a new perspective of a world full of different cultures and languages – and a lot of wonderful diversity. I returned to the United States after being accepted to Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts, a school which taught students to celebrate their different backgrounds and all walks of life. My passion for diversity, art and teaching grew with my college years, as I taught Portuguese privately and to fellow students. These experiences have allowed me to, without a shadow of a doubt, enroll in an M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching) program at Lewis and Clark, where multiculturalism is emphasized. And now I am a proud member of TIS – a school which is perfect in every single way- for the more diversity one knows, the more complete one is.

As a music teacher, I give my students the gift of fluency in the language of music. Fluency in spoken language describes the ability to actively and effectively engage in an unscripted conversation, not just the ability to correctly recite a practiced passage. Similarly, my students should be comfortable not only reading music, but composing and improvising music as well.My musical life has given me the joy of listening to music, playing music, and the joy of long-lasting friendships that began through musical activities. I teach music to share the joy that my involvement in music from an early age has given me. I expect that my students will have the confidence to join and participate in any community they may encounter in their lives.

I am excited to be a part of this very welcoming and friendly family here at The International School. My favorite challenge as a teacher has always been breaking concepts and skills down to their most basic level, so I think LowK and K is the perfect place for me. I hope to instill a love of music and movement in my young students so that when they arrive in Grade 1 they are already filled with joy and good, solid basic skills.

I recently retired from teaching elementary music in Hillsboro, OR, and have also taught in NH, upstate NY, and at Applewild School in Fitchburg, MA.

The PE classes at TIS are usually between 12 and 19 students and run for a full 45 minutes. I believe these two factors are eminently important to the strong results I am seeing here at TIS. With a 45 minute class period, there exists ample time to physically condition children for increased strength, aerobic development, and agility, as well as provide a secure environment to develop small and large motor skills needed for various sports. I believe the PE environment includes socialization as well as citizenship, which I work to foster. Having three young daughters of my own enables me to combine the perspective of both teacher and parent in the classroom. The environment at TIS is wonderful. The small classes and support of the parents help make TIS a special place. The children continue to rise and meet new challenges with enthusiasm and effort.

I love those moments of discovery for students when they take something I had to offer as a teacher and makes it theirs. When I see how something is understood, I learn as a teacher.The International School is a thriving multicultural environment and it is interesting for me simply to be around people from so many different countries and backgrounds.