About Me

My name is Ms. Garcia and I am high school English teacher. I've been in the classroom now for 22 years! Yikes! When did this happen? I actually started off as an elementary school teacher in East Los Angeles. I taught 1st and 4th grade before I realized I wanted to teach Shakespeare to young adults. As much as I loved getting colored pages of butterflies and trees from my 1st graders, I knew my heart was in literature. Eventually I moved to teaching high school at my own alma mater. As a child, I attended the local middle school and elementary school in this school district. I have been a long time resident of La Puente and love my community dearly. I often joke with my students that I will have a parent conference down the bread isle of Northgate Market if I ever bump into their parents. They kinda sorta laugh. I received my B.A. in English Literature from U.C. San Diego, my teaching degree from Cal State Los Angeles, and my M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Design-Based Learning from Cal Poly Pomona. I have served as ELA department chair for 13 years and have also taught teacher training courses at Claremont Graduate School of Education and  Pasadena Art Center. I currently serve as a teacher consultant and facilitator for UCLA's Center X Design-Based Learning program. Besides having over 100 kids a year in my classroom, I also have 3 kids and 1 furry child at home. I love what I do and I hope to share some of the joys and struggles of teaching in a high poverty, working class community.