Grace Chavez

Hi, my name is Grace and I will be teaching first grade at Castro School in Mtn. View for the 2009-2010 school year. I have been teaching for 11 years now and have taught grades k-3. Most of my teaching has been at Title 1 schools. However I did take a 2 year break and taught at Parent Participation schools. I love teaching and wouldn't want to do anything else! I have also been a floral designer, a retail clerk, a day care provider,and a teacher's aide.

I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 32 years now and I have two beautiful daughters ages 23 and 31. My husband and I live in the scenic town of Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz mountains. We share our home with 2 cats and 2 dogs. I have the best commute in the world as I get to see sunsets, sunrises and a variety of wildlife.

I love to learn and I try to pass this love on to my students. My personal learning style is a mix of visual and hands on. Therefore my teaching style incorporates a lot of the same. Each year I find myself adapting my teaching to the needs of the students that I have that year. Every year I look for new ways to help my students reach their potential.

I am so excited about participating in the Merit program. I want to learn how to incorporate the use of technology into my classroom, beyond just using computer programs and the occasional Internet search. I am especially interested in digital storytelling as a way to allow all of my students to share their stories and knowledge, regardless of their language proficiency.