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Here is my Grandma's violin. I mention in one of the slideshows that music is an important cultural aspect of my mom's side of the family, and this influenced my upbringing and love of music and musical instruments.

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Here is my Grandma's violin. I mention in one of the slideshows that music is an important cultural aspect of my mom's side of the family, and this influenced my upbringing and love of music and musical instruments.

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Animals have always been a huge part of my cultural identity. I grew up with dogs and cats, and I am an extreme animal lover. Pets continue to be a crucial part of my life. (Photo: Chibi and me, 2003.)

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Animals have always been a huge part of my cultural identity. I grew up with dogs and cats, and I am an extreme animal lover. Pets continue to be a crucial part of my life. (Photo: Chibi and me, 2003.)

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Wall in my parent's house containing old pictures of my ancestors. I grew up seeing many of these pics, and thus learned about my heritage form a young age

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Wall in my parent's house containing old pictures of my ancestors. I grew up seeing many of these pics, and thus learned about my heritage form a young age

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My Uncle Keith and I. He and my Aunt Teri (who I have no pictures of because she avoided the camera like the plague) were very prominent figures in my life and I loved them dearly. Sadly, they both passed away from cancer within 8 months of each other in 2011.

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My Uncle Keith and I. He and my Aunt Teri (who I have no pictures of because she avoided the camera like the plague) were very prominent figures in my life and I loved them dearly. Sadly, they both passed away from cancer within 8 months of each other in 2011.

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The house where I grew up in Dublin, CA.

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The house where I grew up in Dublin, CA.

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My great Grandma (right) and her sisters in traditional Norwegian dresses. My mom's side of the family is Norwegian and Irish, and my Dad's side is German. My Grandpa on my Dad's side grew up in a German community in North Dakota, and only spoke German until he was 8 years old.

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My great Grandma (right) and her sisters in traditional Norwegian dresses. My mom's side of the family is Norwegian and Irish, and my Dad's side is German. My Grandpa on my Dad's side grew up in a German community in North Dakota, and only spoke German until he was 8 years old.

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My dad and I at Disneyland. Growing up, my dad was usually taking us on outings when he was home. On weekends, he would take us to the park. He also taught me to swim from a very early age, so swimming was a huge part of my culture (but I couldn't find a pic of me swimming as a kid).

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My dad and I at Disneyland. Growing up, my dad was usually taking us on outings when he was home. On weekends, he would take us to the park. He also taught me to swim from a very early age, so swimming was a huge part of my culture (but I couldn't find a pic of me swimming as a kid).

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One of my favorite bedtime books when I was a child

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One of my favorite bedtime books when I was a child

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A Father's Day card I made for my dad when I was in elementary school. As you can see, I had a very "white collar" perception of my father, who worked in an office, wore a tie, and went on frequent business trips. 

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A Father's Day card I made for my dad when I was in elementary school. As you can see, I had a very "white collar" perception of my father, who worked in an office, wore a tie, and went on frequent business trips. 

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A family picture I drew when I was in 4th grade. 

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A family picture I drew when I was in 4th grade. 

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Me with Santa at the local mall when I was 7ish. Christmas (both the religious and secular meaning) was definitely a huge part of my culture.

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Me with Santa at the local mall when I was 7ish. Christmas (both the religious and secular meaning) was definitely a huge part of my culture.

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Me with my "Ernie" stuffed doll when I was 2ish. TV was (and still is) and huge part of my culture, and a lot of my childhood was spent watching programs such as Sesame Street.

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Me with my "Ernie" stuffed doll when I was 2ish. TV was (and still is) and huge part of my culture, and a lot of my childhood was spent watching programs such as Sesame Street.

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Minnie Mouse and Me at Disneyland when I was 3. Growing up, I went there often.

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Minnie Mouse and Me at Disneyland when I was 3. Growing up, I went there often.

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How have these experiences and identities shaped me as an educator?

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How have these experiences and identities shaped me as an educator?

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Because I was fortunate to be raised in a family who valued kindness and equality, this has shaped me into the person I am today. I am passionate about helping children develop their socio-emotional skills and learn to be kind to one-another. I am passionate about bringing the children's cultural backgrounds to the classroom and allowing them to shine in their own way. Because I have a special needs sibling, this lead me to be interested in early childhood education and support children with special needs. I have also grown up with family members who struggled with some mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, this has made me more aware of these hardships in individuals around me.
(Photo: Me with my team and class of toddlers, 2015. Picture day was rough that year.)

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Over the past 10 months, I have worked hard to heal from the sudden passing of my husband. These experiences have shown me that I am stronger than I realized. I therefore see myself today as a strong, independent woman who is passionate about helping others and working with young children. I see myself as a kind-hearted, open-minded individual who is always willing and wanting to learn about other beliefs and perspectives. I see myself as sensitive and emotional, and for the first time I am learning that these are not negative qualities. They make me who I am, which is a compassionate, caring person.
(Photo: Me with my 3 primaries in the infant room, circa 2014.)

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What encounters did I have around bias, privilege and social justice? 

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What encounters did I have around bias, privilege and social justice? 

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This question can best be summed up with two stories from my childhood:

In the first story, when I was around three, my mom took me to eat at McDonald's with my friend and her mother. My friend opened her "happy meal," and in it was a blonde barbie. I then asked my mom for a happy meal, because I too wanted a blonde barbie. When I opened the box, I pulled out a black barbie. According to my mom, my "face fell," because I wanted a blonde barbie. My mom then exclaimed, "Oh! She's so beautiful! She has beautiful skin and beautiful hair. Wouldn't it be boring if we all looked the same?" I was then content with my barbie.

In the second story, I came home from school to tell my mom that the group of girls I was playing  with informed another girl that she couldn't play because she was black. My mom took this very seriously and immediately drove to the school to inform the teacher.

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What values do I embrace from my family, culture and social groups?

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What values do I embrace from my family, culture and social groups?

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The photograph below is something that I wrote for a 5th grade assignment, entitled, "Things My Family Has Taught Me." I was surprised to discover that what I wrote when I was 10 years old captures many of my values today:

-Politeness and saying "Please" and "Thank You"
-Not to stare at others
- The value of reading, and hobbies such as swimming and cooking.
-Appreciate those who help you and "do nice things for you."
- "Be nice to other people."
- My family taught me to treat others the way I want to be treated. They also taught me to be friendly."

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Me in my "Red Riding Hood" Halloween Costume when I was 3ish. My grandma had made it for me. I spent time at my grandparent's house every day until they died, so they were a huge part of my upbringing. My grandma would often make me little hats, scarves, costumes, and clothes for my dolls. Many of the clothes I wore until I was 11 were either made or were hand-me-downs from my cousins. This allowed my parents to save a lot of money, another major value I was taught growing up.

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Me in my "Red Riding Hood" Halloween Costume when I was 3ish. My grandma had made it for me. I spent time at my grandparent's house every day until they died, so they were a huge part of my upbringing. My grandma would often make me little hats, scarves, costumes, and clothes for my dolls. Many of the clothes I wore until I was 11 were either made or were hand-me-downs from my cousins. This allowed my parents to save a lot of money, another major value I was taught growing up.

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Of all the questions, this is the one I had the hardest time answering. After doing a lot of reflecting, I remembered something my mother always told me growing up: "When you're sad, you're stuck. When you're mad, you move forward." After thinking about it, I realized that this is still very much the case with me. I have always had a temper, and I am realizing that I often channel it into making changes and being productive. In a way, when I feel angry, it fuels me to persevere beyond whatever difficult situation I am encountering. The best example I can use currently is there grief of losing my husband. An example I can use growing up was getting through being bullied by some of my peers.

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I have let go of my innocence. Growing up, my parents never really took us to many places or talked about sad or bad things happening. As I grew up, I began to experience many deaths and loss of loved ones, which has awakened me to the fact that you can loose the people you love abruptly and without warning. I witnessed many hardships my close friends experience as a result of coming out as gay to their friends and families. As I continued to age, I learned about those experiencing terrible hardships in this country and around the world. I am realizing that I was very sheltered when I was young, but this is no longer the case.

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What Messages Did I get From My Family About Treatment of Others?

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What Messages Did I get From My Family About Treatment of Others?

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Growing up, my mom told me that I wasn't allowed to tell someone they couldn't play (although I don't remember this rule). I was always a very kind and inclusive kid, and wanted to play and include everyone.
Although I grew up in a very white neighborhood and school (especially during elementary school), I was always taught that everyone was equal, regardless of race or ethnicity. As I grew older and entered middle school and highschool , the student population became more diverse and so I had a very diverse group of friends.
Because I grew up with a brother who has Autism, I was always aware of and was taught to be kind to those with disabilities.