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1. My name is Alexis Arrington

2. I am a K-2 Special Education teacher at Vanalden Avenue Elementary School.

3. i am excited to meet, collaborate, and build relationships with you all.

4. I enjoy learning. I hope I get to add to my "teacher toolbox" and learn more about SEL, and how I can incorporate SEL in my practice.

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1. My name is Esmeralda Escarzaga.

2. I am a RSP teacher for grades TK-5th at 28th St Elementary School.

3. I went to Mount St Mary's University and earned my Bachelor's degree in Psychology. I actually work at the elementary school I attended myself.

4. I hope to gain insight and a deeper understanding into SEL in order to support students and colleagues at my work site.

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1) What is your name?

My name is Chris McLemore

2) What is your role (ex: teacher, counselor), and where do you work?

I am a History Teacher at Armstrong Middle School in Sherman Oaks.

3) What one or two things do you want your Community of Practice to know about you?

I am passionate about students expanding their worlds. I feel that we are consumers or creators. I want my students to see the creative works around them. I have been teaching for 27 years and am constantly looking for way to improve my classroom.

4) What do you hope to get out of the SEL Micro-Credential?

I hope to understand students on a more personal level. I feel that school can be a place that teaches students how to develop grit as much as in can teaceh them to read and write. If we can help students figure out how to deal with stress then learning our content will be easier.

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Hi everyone! My name is Jennifer Benitez but you can call me Jenn. This is my fourth year of teaching. This year, I  am teaching 5th grade at Malabar Street Elementary in Boyle Heights. I graduated from Cal State LA with my Bachelors in Liberal Studies and my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Outside of teaching, I enjoy traveling and spending quality time with family and friends. Through the SEL micro-credential, I want to learn more about different ways to integrate SEL and effective strategies that will support my students, especially given the challenging times that we are living in. I also look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with you all as we all pursue our SEL microcredential.

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Hi everyone! My name is Jasmine Flores and I am a Special Education Teacher at John Liechty Middle School.

I love drinking coffee and this is my second Micro-Credentialing Program. I did the Antiractist Instruction Micro-Credential last year.

What I hop to get out of SEL Micro-Credential Program is to gain a rich and deeper understanding of SEL and continue to learn as much as I can so that I can nurture, support and equip my students with the skills they need to be wonderful and compassionate people ready to serve their community.

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1. I am Joyce L. Randall.

2. I am a 9-12 Health Teacher at Fremont High School.

3. I love learning. I enjoy teaching my students that education is empowering and not punitive. I enjoy showing them the power of team work. Many hands make light work. I understand the multi layered challenges my students face. We come from the same community. Once my students cross the threshold of my doorway they can relax and learn. I passionately believe students have to know you care before you can teach them. It is always my goal to show I care. One of the ways to show I care is to teach SEL embedded in my practices.

4. I am enrolled in the SEL Micro-Credential Program for the second time because I did not properly govern my time and complete the course my first time around. Teaching my students by example while learning how to better support them is my goal.

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1) What is your name? 2) What is your role and where do you work?

Hi! My name is Daisy Pacheco-Flores and I am a 7th grade English & History teacher in a span school called Ellen Ochoa Learning Center (K-8).

3) What one or two things do you want your Community of Practice to know about you?

I went to Cal State LA, where I got my credential and bachelor's degree in Child Development. Through the courses I was introduced to what SEL is and why it's important for it to be incorporated in the classroom.

Also, I love orcas! They are amazing creatures with high levels of emotional and social intelligence. Very much comparable to ours!

4) What do you hope to get out of the SEL Micro-Credential?

I hope to collaborate and learn with and from others; to share strategies in how to introduce SEL into a middle school classroom.

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What is your name?  Melissa Heckman

What is your role? Elementary Principal

What are one or two thig s you want your Community of Practice to know about you?  Relationship building is my super power.  I use this at work every day and it helps me to empower and uplift the members of my school community.

What do you hope to get out of the SEL Micro-Credential?  I would like to get more skills to add to my toolbox to help me in my interactions with others.  I like to build an “I Can” attitude in students and I’m looking for more interesting ways to do that.

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Hello. My name is Yessenia Maldonado, and I am an 8th grade math teacher for Bethune Middle School. I graduated with my Bachelors of Science Degree in Math from Cal State Dominguez Hills and received my Masters of Arts Degree and credentials from Loyola Marymount University. Traveling and running are some of my hobbies. What I hope to get from the social-emotional learning  micro-credential is to gain a deeper understanding of how SEL strategies can be applied to enhance communication, empathy, and emotional intelligence among the students that I teach. This micro credential could help me understand how emotions affect learning and behavior, and how fostering social-emotional skills can create a positive environment in my classroom.

I’d also hope to gain tools to help my students to build resilience, self-awareness, and effective communication skills, which can ultimately improve relationships and collaboration in my classroom.

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My name is Sham Adam. I am an English Language Arts and Humanities teacher, currently teaching 12th grade at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools – The School of Visual Arts and Humanities. This is my first official year teaching with a full class schedule, and I’m excited to grow both as an educator and as a member of this vibrant learning community.

One important thing I want my colleagues to know about me is that I am trilingual, with English being my third language. This background gives me a unique perspective on language learning and cultural diversity, which I bring into my teaching.

Second, this is my first time participating in a micro-credential program, and I am eager to develop expertise in social-emotional learning (SEL). I hope to gain practical strategies for embedding SEL into daily classroom practice in ways that address the diverse and evolving needs of my students. I believe traditional education often falls short because it assumes a one-size-fits-all approach, but SEL offers a powerful way to support every learner’s growth holistically. Through this micro-credential, I aim to better navigate and implement SEL to create a more inclusive, responsive, and supportive environment for all my students.

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1) What is your name?
My name is Christian Sarmiento.

2) What is your role (ex: teacher, counselor), and where do you work?
I am a PALS (Preschool for All Learners) teacher at Dayton Heights Elementary School.

3) What one or two things do you want your Community of Practice to know about you?
One important thing to know about me is that I focus heavily on social-emotional development with my students, and I align my teaching with the Target State Standards in this domain. Another detail is that this is actually my second micro-credential, and I am excited to continue building my skills.

4) What do you hope to get out of the SEL Micro-Credential?
Through this micro-credential, I hope to deepen my understanding of SEL strategies so I can bring new knowledge and practices back to my classroom. My goal is to better support my students’ social-emotional growth and also share effective strategies with my team to strengthen our collective work.

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What is your name?
Yessenia Marroquin

What is your role and where do you work?
I am a School Counselor at LeConte Middle School.

What one or two things do you want your Community of Practice to know about you?
I was born and raised in this community, and it holds a special place in my heart. This isn’t just where I work it’s my community. I understand the challenges our students and families face, and I’m here to support them in any way I can.

What do you hope to get out of the SEL Micro-Credential?
I hope to deepen my understanding of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) so I can better serve my students and help create a safe, supportive, and empowering school environment.

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Hello,

My name is Nancy Navarrete, and I am a high school English teacher.

I want you to know that I am a busy mom of two toddlers, but I am very passionate about bringing SEL to my students. I hope to get some great ideas about how to make my curriculum SEL-aligned.

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Hello Everyone!

My name is Emmie Petit. I am a 3rd grade teacher at Marquez Charter Elementary in the West side region.

I'm really excited to learn so much in this cohort and bring so much more of this practice into my classroom.

I believe SEL is one of the most important tools to teach in our classroom as this helps our students succeed both emotionally and academically. I strongly believe teaching our students self regulation and navigating deep emotions as well as, understanding the neuroscience behind trauma is crucial in our career as teachers.

I received my bilingual teaching degree in Brooklyn, NY. I have taught grades K - 3rd. Also, I taught for one year in Costa Rica in an IB world school.

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My name is Aura Pimentel.

I teach Kindergarten at Glenfeliz Elementary School. I have taught at this school for 32 years.

I would like my community of practice to know that even though I have been in this field for so many years, I am always willing to learn and bring new strategies to the classroom.

By doing this micro-credential I hope to gain the tools and strategies to teach my little students how to manage their emotions, understand other's opinions and thoughts, how to resolve conflicts peacefully and how to make responsible and safe decisions. In my classroom we talk about how its ok to have big feelings, but is what you do with them that matters!

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Hello all,

My name is Christina Shettleroe. I am a 5th grade teacher at Normandie Ave Elementary. During my personal time, I enjoy being outdoors bike riding, paddle boarding, or just being outdoors. My goal is to start traveling to enjoy new adventure and explore new cultures. During this course, I hope to get more strategies and understanding on how to meet my student's social and emotional well being. I have taught for 25 years and a lot has changed with SEL (lingo, strategies, understanding, etc), I am hoping to catch on to this new generation of learners.

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Hi Everyone,

My name is Bayan Naamani

5th grade teacher at Elizabeth Learning Center in Cudahy.

Excited to be part of this cohort and to learn from you all.

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1. My name is Emily Irlam

2. I am 6 grade teacher at Lawson STEAM Academy. I love camping, Disneyland, cheese, and reading.

3. I hope to learn more about how to incorporate SEL to help my students make academic growth as well as emotional growth.

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1.) My name is Victoria Biegner

2.) I teach 3'rd Grade at San Pedro Street Elementary

3.) I'm looking forward to building tools to bring social emotional learning into my classroom, not just as one off lessons, but really making it part of my teaching practice. I'm also hoping for my students to build the tools and knowledge to take ownership of social-emotional and support them in regulating their big feelings. Being a 3rd grader is hard and they are managing this crazy world amazingly, but I think some extra tools will help them tremendously!

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1. My name is Angel Pereyra

2. I teach APE at Olive Vista MS and surrounding elementaries.

3. I would like my students to be able to better deal with their emotions and practice safe and effective communication.

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Hello, my name is Lidia Mendoza.

I am a 3rd grade teacher at Evergreen Avenue Elementary. I have been teaching for over 20 years at the same school.

I have 2 children, Chris 22 who just graduated Cal State Fullerton this past June and Olivia 20 who just started her 3rd year at Fullerton as well.

I hope to learn more about SEL and be well equiped to offer my students ways to deal with all types of emotions in positive ways. I would like to offer my students more efficient ways to deal with difficult feelings and feel more comfortable with themselves while learning.

I apologize, could not get my camera to connect and do not know how to submit an audio recording.

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1) My name is Edith Rincón

2) I am a Spanish teacher at Eagle Rock High School.

3) I love to travel and I have a pet bunny.

4) I hope to learn techniques and exercises to help my students and colleagues to manage their emotions.

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1. Name: Denise Hernandez

2. I am currently a Math Interventionist for grades 3rd-6th grade at Florence Avenue Elementary.

3. I want my community of practice to know that I find the need to SEL to be imperative to all HUMANS!

4. I hope to learn how to equip all students and stakeholders at my school with strategies, tools, and more ideas to cope with our everyday lives and learning to strive to be exceptional human beings with one another.

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My name is Sam Baker.

I'm an Academic Counselor at Audubon Middle School.

I love working with middle school kids and I collect rocks.

I hope to learn from the SEL program ways to be a more effective counselor. I also hope to learn things to share with my colleagues and school community.

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Hello Everyone! So happy to be part of this learning community.

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My name is Maria Kouli.

I am a Dual Language teacher at Elizabeth Learning Center in East Los Angeles, where I also teach foundation math to 6th grade students.

Two years ago, I earned a Dual Language Micro-Credential. Our school is the first and only school in Southern California to offer an Arabic Dual Language program.

I am interested in pursuing the Social Emotional Micro-Credential because I work with middle school students, and I feel it is important to deepen my knowledge about their social-emotional development and learn strategies to better support their needs.

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1. My name is Dali Wong.

2. I'm the Title 1/TSP Coordinator at Beethoven Elementary School.

3. I'm a person who is always learning. I just came to the United States 8 years ago and I'm proud to be teacher and coordinator at LUASD.

4. I hope to deepen my understanding of social-emotional learning practices, gain practical strategies to support both students and educators, and integrate SEL more intentionally into language programs and professional development.

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Hi Cohort! My name is Fallon Renard or I go by Mrs. Mor in my classroom. I am a Kindergarten teacher. I work at Castlebay Lane Charter Elementary (Region North). Fun fact, this was the school I went to as a kid. I want my community of practice to know that I put a big importance on creating a warm and inviting environment for my students to make them feel comfortable with me and their environment. I hope to learn new SEL skills to keep in my teacher toolbox and work on new transitions ideas and collaborating with all my peers to become a better teacher.

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1. My name is Brian Tolentino

2. I teach English at Valley Oaks Center for Enriched Studies.

3. I want my community of practice to know that I believe SEL is is essential for student learning.

4. I hope with this training I will have the tools and ideas to help my students reacher their potential.

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My name is Won "Alice" Cho, and I serve as a proud principal at Warner Avenue Elementary School in Region West. I am unique and love to take on challenges to be a better educator. Is this your first or second micro-credential? Continue to take more! This is my 7th micro-credential. My commitment to continuous learning is demonstrated through the completion of six micro-credentials, each of which has directly informed my instructional leadership and allowed me to implement cutting-edge best practices within the school community. So here I am with you to learn more about SEL and how we can impact our students positively! Let's learn together! Thank you for reading my post!

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1. My name is Cathy Flynn

2. I teach TK at Stanley Mosk ES in Winnetka.

3. I want the Community of Practice to know that as a TK teacher, I believe social-emotional learning is the most important area of growth for my students. I have the unique opportunity to guide children at the very start of their school journey and help them build the crucial skills they need for productive and happy lives.

4. I hope with this training, it becomes instinctive to know which SEL tools I should use on a moment’s notice, because 4 and 5-year olds have big feelings! I don’t want to be telling them: “I know you’re very upset right now. Wait here and let me check my notes on what to do.”

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Hello everyone! I am Shaema Shaikh, and I teach at Ernest Lawrence Middle School. I teach Science, Health, Robotics, and PLTW pathways.

I want my Community of Practice to know that I am passionate about helping students grow not only academically but also in their social and emotional skills, because I believe these are lifelong tools for success.
I value collaboration and love learning from colleagues’ experiences and strategies. I see professional communities as a place where we can all grow together.

Through the Microcredential: I hope to deepen my understanding of how to intentionally integrate SEL into daily instruction, classroom routines, and student interactions. I also want to gain practical strategies I can use immediately in my classroom, while building confidence in fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students.

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Hello, My name is Ana Lilia Tamayo. I teach Spanish at Narbonne High. I love to run, garden and cook. I am currently the SRLA leader at my school. I hope that the SEL Micro-Credential can give me effective strategies to better help my students with their social-emotional well-being.

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Hello everyone, my name is Phoebe Song, I teach Algebra I and II at John Marshall High school. I'm a brand new teacher and moved from Missouri. I hope to learn ways for make my classroom more welcoming and be more supportive.

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Hi Everyone! My name is Fran Dacono. I am a CTE Teacher at Grant High School, where I teach Graphic Design, Advertising, and Computer Operations. I also serve as the club sponsor for the Creative Design Makerspace Club and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Club. I recently completed Project-Based Learning training at High Tech High in San Diego, where I gained understanding of how Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an essential part of student success. Now, I am curious and more interested about how PBL and SEL can help students build real-world problem-solving skills while also developing confidence, resilience, collaboration, and empathy. Through this SEL Micro-Credential, I hope to strengthen my own teaching practices by integrating strategies that support students’ emotional well-being, self-awareness as they embrace their roots and culture, and learn about collaboration alongside their academic and technical growth. By embedding SEL into my classroom, I aim to create a learning environment where students feel safe to take risks, express themselves, and persevere through setbacks—skills that will prepare them not only for school, but also for the real world.

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Good morning, everyone. Hope you have a bless day everyday.

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Hello everyone! My name is Estefani Solis, and I teach an upper AUT Core class for 3rd–5th grade students. I am currently in my second year of teaching, and I hope this SEL micro-credentialing program helps me build my SEL toolkit so I can support my students in becoming successful individuals—both in my classroom and in the outside world. A community practice I want to share is that I am passionate about inclusion and creating a supportive environment where all of my students feel capable and know that they truly belong.

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Marycruz Loria Audio Recording for my class assignment.

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Hello Everyone!! My name is Marycuz Loria I am a CTE teacher and I currently teach at AFOC located in the heart of DTLA, assign to teach the manicure program. I am looking forward to learn more on SEL . I am exited but also nervous at the same time! ( I am going to give it my BEST).

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Hello everyone! My name is Ixchelle Munck. I work with middle and high school students. I believe that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) plays an important role in student and adult growth and development. I'm excited to start this journey with the SEL Micro-Credential Program.

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Hello. My name is Erica Pan. I am a Resource Teacher at Narbonne High School in the South Bay area. In Special Education, we have a high concentration of students with ACES. I hope to gain from this program a deeper understanding of the reasons and consequences for traumatized students. I also hope to learn as many strategies as possible to empower our students and build their resilience.

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Greetings. My name is Miko Garcia & I am a SpEd Teacher at Perez Career & Transition Center (CTC) in East LA.

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Hello everyone! Looking forward to getting to know you and building a learning community!

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Hi Y'all. My name is Esmeralda Leal and I'm a cored (English and History) 7th grade teacher.

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Hello everyone! My name is Greece and I am an English teacher for high school. :)