Beth grew up in Glendale, Arizona and spent her youth participating in drama and music programs. Her love of performing and her desire to teach led her to obtain a Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Arizona. Beth’s early career was spent as a band director at Maui High School and as the co-founder of the King Kekaulike High School Band on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Upon returning to the mainland, Beth and her husband settled in California, where she pursued her dream of being a classroom teacher. Prior to having her children, Beth worked at a private school in a combination 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classroom. She fell in love with teaching middle school after being a substitute teacher at that grade level, and spent the next 15+ years of her career teaching math, science, and many other subjects in a 6th, 7th, and 8th grade combined classroom. After obtaining her K-8 Teaching Certification from UCLA, Beth spent 3 years as a math and science teacher at a parochial school, where she was also able to teach drama, run the Student Council, and create and run a Festival of Engineering, Art, Science, and Technology with student-submitted projects. When her husband’s employer offered the chance to move to Arizona, Beth leapt at the chance to return home to continue teaching!
When Beth isn’t teaching, she likes to occupy herself with a number of diverse activities. Her favorite option is always to spend time with her husband, college-aged son and daughter, and her dog Adonis; however, she also loves hiking, reading, knitting, and practicing Muay Thai (Thai boxing). Teaching will always be Beth’s greatest passion, and she can often be found working with current and former students, creating lesson plans, and reading about her craft. She feels it is important that her students know that they are accepted for who they are, and that she will work tirelessly to help them be the best version of themselves now and in the future.
WHY METRO:
She has taught middle school for over 25 years in all types of schools, and believes that Metro is a perfect fit for her beliefs as an educator. The faculty and staff are welcoming and provide an atmosphere of warmth and caring. Academics are incredibly important, but so is expressing one’s self in a genuine and responsible manner. She loves the idea that students are more than just a test score, and will learn to be their most authentic selves.
