Teachers & Staff
Tierra Pacifica is extremely fortunate to have excellent teachers and staff. They are the foundation of our school.



I have worked managing small nonprofits in Santa Cruz for about ten years and now LOVE the work I do here for Tierra Pacifica!
I love spending my weekends with my five children. (Well that's if I’m lucky and my teen will join us!) You can find us most weekends walking along West Cliff or the beach, or taking a leisurely stroll downtown


This time around Amber received a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and a BA in Special Education, inspired by the time she spent at the School for the Blind. After graduating, Amber taught 6th grade in Monterey, Mexico for a year. She returned to Austin and taught 1st grade at an inner-city Title 1 school, followed by a teaching stint in Jeju Island, South Korea. Then a move to sometimes-sunny-Santa Cruz was in order.
Amber has two children, Joaquin and Lizzie, who attend Tierra Pacifica. In 2016, she was thrilled to be asked to work in the office as staff. Currently she works as an Administrative Aide and an EL coordinator. When she’s not at school or volunteering, she likes to cook, knit, sew, garden, and listen to friends. Amber has had a steady yoga practice for 24 years, which has given her the poise in which to move through life with grace, she thinks.

Teachers


My credentials include a BA in Environmental Studies, Minor in Biology, Masters in Business Administration, emphasis in nonprofit management and a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with CLAD certification.
I also understand and appreciate that a great part of our learning comes from life experiences. I have traveled to 49 countries around the world and 31 of the United States. I am comfortable speaking several languages including Vietnamese, Japanese, French and some Spanish.
My pride and joy is my family, my wife Nga and my two sons, Milo and Khai (both who attended TPCS K - 8th). When the rare opportunity of free time comes my way, I surf, shape surfboards (mostly retro-boards), white water raft, travel, or just sleep!
My philosophy on education is edutainment, having fun while learning. I am a firm believer that our students need to lay down a strong foundation for learning through the California Common Core Standards, but it doesn't need to be boring. I use creativity to engage students in the learning process through interactive means whenever possible. Thus, don't be too concerned if your child comes home with an assignment to write a song or poem about the fall of the Roman Empire or the election process.
I love to Teach!




My goal is to create a classroom that is supportive, rigorous, open to big ideas, and fun. With lots of additional training such as attending The Exploratorium Teacher Institute in San Francisco, CPM's Ideas and Inspirations Math Program, and Jo Boaler's Growth Mindset Class, I try to bring hands' on experiential lessons to the classroom everyday. Students are encouraged to take academic risks and to not be afraid to try new things...... and make mistakes.
I also work at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the Cal-Teach program.
When not working, I enjoy spending time with my family (husband, Erik and children, Elan, Jesse, and Mia) hiking, going to the beach, playing games, and traveling.

I earned two Bachelor’s Degrees from Humboldt State University: one in English with an emphasis in Education and one in Music with an emphasis in Voice and Percussion. After traveling to Zimbabwe and Cuba to study their music, song and dance, I returned to Humboldt State to receive a Multiple Subject Elementary Teaching Credential and a Single Subject Teaching Credential in English. During my schooling, I performed with various groups: drumming in samba troupes, choreographing and drumming for a West African Troupe, playing and singing with the Mbira, a traditional Zimbabwean instrument, and also singing Jazz and R&B at multiple venues. I sang in AkaBella, a five-woman a cappella world-fusion group, with whom I toured the West Coast before moving to Santa Cruz. I love Music and I love to teach!

I enjoy teaching kids how to discover things for themselves and pass along their new knowledge to others. I believe it is important for students to challenge themselves in many areas from mental challenges such as public speaking and academics to physical challenges such as long hikes and trying new activities. My desire is to get kids out of doors to enjoy this beautiful world of ours and to stay physically active for health and happiness. Frequent opportunities to move throughout the day are as important as the curriculum we teach. Academically, I think it is important for students to figure out what their personal learning style is and to work at their own level while pushing their limits. I am excited about team teaching with Jennifer, and Verena this year so that we can provide many opportunities for growth.
When I'm not at work, the thing I enjoy the most is spending time with my family and pets in and around our home in Boulder Creek. We enjoy bike riding, hiking, baseball, motorcycle riding and exploring new places together. As for personal hobbies I am an avid reader/researcher of history, including family history, and I enjoy working with multimedia computer programs such as i-movie and Powerpoint. My husband works for an international telecommunications firm, my daughter currently attends Cabrillo College and my son attends San Lorenzo Valley High School. I have three cats and a hermit crab which was given to me by a Tierra Pacifica student many years ago. My favorite books are historic fiction and non-fiction, I love adventure and romantic comedy movies, I enjoy listening to alternative rock music and when I go out to eat I almost always choose to eat Indian or Cajun food.

I enjoy the challenge of adapting my college-level teaching practices to middle school students, and I’m eager to help them practice thinking and writing skills that will serve them well in their future lives in and outside of school. I feel very lucky to be working in such a supportive, nurturing environment.
When I’m not being a teacher, I enjoy playing with my kids, cooking, singing, bicycling, yoga, and bobbing in the ocean.
Classroom Support



My husband, Justin, is the 7th/8th grade Spots Class teacher, and we like to hang out with our boys, Milo and Khai, as well as a menagerie of animals at home when we are not traveling. I enjoy being outside in nature, cooking vegetarian food, and volunteering with the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter in the Humane Education Program and as a Foundation Board Member. I also work at Harbor High School as the Library Media Services Assistant and as the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Coordinator for their International Baccalaureate diploma program. Being with students of different ages and stages all day long expands my practice of mindfulness and presence for which I am so grateful!




Student Support

I received my bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. After a year as a research assistant in UCSD’s Teacher Education Program, I continued on to receive my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. From 1998 to 2000, I taught second and third grade in the Los Angeles Unified School District. In 2000, I moved to Santa Cruz where I taught at Happy Valley Elementary School. I taught kindergarten and first grade, and became a trained Reading Recovery teacher. In 2003, I took a leave from teaching to spend time at home while my two children were young. When my daughter entered kindergarten at Tierra Pacifica in 2011, I worked as a teaching assistant in the Oaks classroom, until 2015 when I became the English Language Coordinator. Finally in 2018, I took on the roll as a Reading Specialist. I have been fortunate to participate in trainings at both Chartwell School and the Institute for Mulit-Sensory Education to learn the Orton-Gillingham approach.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, hiking, running, and reading.

I earned a B.A. from U.C.S.C. and a teaching credential from Bethany University.
Since college, I directed the first after-school program at Soquel Elementary. I’ve spent years as a teachers instructional aid and I specialized in art. Most of my employment I have been delighted to work with school-aged children, especially kindergarten.


Mariam is also a children's yoga and mindfulness teacher. She has written eight children's books on yoga and mindfulness which have been translated into 17 languages.


Stephanie also supports TPCS in its diversity and anti-bias work leading staff trainings, strategic planning, and ongoing reflexive discourse. Her work in this area closely ties in with her doctoral program in Social Psychology at UCSC, where her research focuses on educational equity, systems of power, and youth engagement.
As a Positive Discipline Parent and Classroom Educator, Stephanie helps parents and schools learn how to support young people through fostering respectful relationships and accountability from an Adlerian and systems change approach. She previously served as the board president of Positive Discipline Community Resources before stepping down to focus on her baby.
Prior to working at Tierra Pacifica Stephanie was a counselor and advocate for at-risk youth, teen parents, foster youth, and those experiencing domestic violence. She has also worked with youth of all ages as a preschool family literacy coordinator, youth participatory action research program coordinator, Girls Circle facilitator, and martial arts instructor.

MS in Counseling, CSU East Bay
PPS School Psychology
Fundraising

This time around Amber received a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and a BA in Special Education, inspired by the time she spent at the School for the Blind. After graduating, Amber taught 6th grade in Monterey, Mexico for a year. She returned to Austin and taught 1st grade at an inner-city Title 1 school, followed by a teaching stint in Jeju Island, South Korea. Then a move to sometimes-sunny-Santa Cruz was in order.
Amber has two children, Joaquin and Lizzie, who attend Tierra Pacifica. In 2016, she was thrilled to be asked to work in the office as staff. Currently she works as an Administrative Aide and an EL coordinator. When she’s not at school or volunteering, she likes to cook, knit, sew, garden, and listen to friends. Amber has had a steady yoga practice for 24 years, which has given her the poise in which to move through life with grace, she thinks.