How has your career shifted from 2020 pandemic?

This has been a huge shift on so many levels! The shift to online rearranged our entire lives just to figure out how to do this. I am an English teacher, not a manager of software systems! I see teaching as a community that is a safe place for students to take risks, to fail, to get back up and try again. However, to set up that environment on zoom is so challenging. We are trying to recreate an emotional connection with each other on zoom with a camera which is uncomfortable. Then, in returning to campus, I am acting as a health and safety inspector and reminding students of the protocols for sanitization and social distancing practices. So, I used to say my job description was to teach kids literature but now, my job description is so different!

On a personal note, one of the gifts of this pandemic time is that our family got to be a lot closer. We started having game nights, got into Disney plus movies, and learned how to be together well.

How do you manage stress and self care?

By having supportive people around me – my husband, mom, dad, brother all taking turns with the kids and cooking is how I’ve been able to find time to destress. I have a surf gang, an online boot camp, Saturday running partner, Sunday walking partner – basically, a scheduled social life. I schedule my life around my workout routines and family time, of which has developed into standing surf dates in the afternoons.

What is your current daily routine?

I get up at 5am, slowly get life together and head to diamond head for a surf check with my surf crew. Some days I don’t feel like showing up but my friends keep me accountable. I’m thankful the beaches stayed open which has kept normality in my routine and exercise that is essential for me. Even if there is no surf, seeing the sunrise is the best way to start my morning.

By 7:30am, I am at school and once my work is done, I am rushing to get my kids in traffic by the 3:30pm pick up time.

Tell us a little about the concept La Pietra is taking with “Raising Women of Purpose on Purpose.”

When La Pietra started, it was in a time where there were limited spots open for girls to get a good private education that was not so heavily based on religion affiliations. La Pietra really opened the door for girls to have a hands on, progressive approach that really encourages social-emotional learning. We measure how a student learns by how they observe and organize ideas into a paragraph or substantiate their argument with evidence. To be a teacher here is really listening for and calling out the purpose of a student’s life. We help students to listen to the small voice that moves one to their calling. We expose them to the right resources and encourage them toward the unique way they are meant to grow. Learning and success is not just about getting a 4.0 gpa – it’s about students finding purpose in the way that is intentional. We encourage emotional vocabulary that allows them to express moments of joy or despair with articulation that translates into life meaning. We hope our contribution is to help each child find their individual gifts, develop them and move forward intentionally.