Ms. Howard

Hello! I'm Ms. Howard.

It's so nice to meet you! Teaching is something I’m really passionate about and I am so excited to have the chance to work with you and your child! In our class we’ll have a lot of fun and learn a lot—I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for us! Today, I also wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and help you get to know me a little better.

I'm from Iowa originally. But growing up, I also lived in Illinois and Houston, Texas. I majored in Japanese at the University of Iowa where I had the chance to study abroad in Japan for a year, and was also able to study Chinese and Hindi. I later got my MA in education, with a focus on foreign language and ESL. After graduating, I lived in Taiwan and South Korea where I taught English to children, ages 2-12. My time overseas is what inspired me to move from teaching college in the US and return to teaching elementary. 

I'm so excited to be here at Serna! And I can’t wait to get to know all of the students here! It’s my goal to help my students become life-long learners and I hope to share my passion for learning with them. I firmly believe that every child has the potential to excel and grow, and with that in mind I work hard to create a safe, comfortable learning environment where children can learn, feel supported, and not be afraid to make mistakes as they move forward on their learning journey. Going hand-in-hand with that philosophy, if you, as a parent, have any questions or concerns, please let me know. I believe it is so important to have open communication between us and I am happy to talk to you!

On a more personal note, here are a few other things about me to help you get to know me better...

I have two dogs—a Siberian Husky and a very silly Doberman—and they keep me pretty busy! Growing up I always had a lot of pets, though, so I love their company. In my free time, a few hobbies I enjoy are painting, drawing, wood carving, reading, taking photos, and hiking. I also love learning languages and learning about other cultures, so I guess it isn't too surprising that my parents had me studying languages from the time I was 2 years old and my first international trip was at the age of 17 to a rural mountain village in Japan—when I barely spoke any Japanese! It was an amazing experience though and definitely gave me the "travel bug." 

A few of my favorites:

Color: Turquoise, Gold, Silver, Black
Season: Summer, Fall
Animal: Fox, Raven
Food: Indian
Drink: Coffee