- About Mrs. McDaniel -
Again, welcome to Room 26! With twenty-two new personalities and lots of excitement for learning, I can already tell that it is going to be a fabulous adventure! I am thrilled to be a part of it with YOU! Here is a bit of information about me:
- I joined the La Canada Unified School District and Palmcrest family seven years ago after teaching in South Pasadena Unified for two years. I enjoy being a part of another close-knit community, and am looking forward to getting to know each of you and your students! I believe that there is truly something special about teaching in a smaller community and having the opportunity to get to know each family.
- During my first year at Palm Crest, I also finished my Master's of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction, emphasis on Reading, from California State University Los Angeles. Alongside my M.A, I earned a Reading and Language Arts Specialist Credential, California Reading Certificate, and Postsecondary Reading Certificate. I believe that being the best educator we can be means continuing to educate ourselves as well as our students.
- I was born and raised within a ten minute radius of Palmcrest. I grew up in La Crescenta and went to Lincoln Elementary School, Rosemont Middle School and Crescenta Valley High School. I attended California State University Northridge for my B.A. and credential, and California State University Los Angeles for my Master's. You can definitely say that Southern California blood runs through me! My husband, kids, puppy, and I enjoy spending long weekends on camping trips to any number of beautiful campgrounds we are lucky enough to have near us.
- My husband, Evan, and I have an almost 4-year old daughter named Harper, a seven month old son named Landon, and a five month dachshund puppy named Dixie. We met working at Tom Sawyer Camp, and have always looked forward to raising a family of our own. Harper and Landon already love being outdoors, and we cannot wait to send them to camp (next summer for Harper!) where mommy and daddy met!
- Summer of 2017 was my first summer not working since I was 17! Previously during the summer months, I was a Director at Tom Sawyer Camp in Hahamonga Watershed Park. I spent twelve summers working at camp, and although I am taking a hiatus to spend summers with my kiddos, I will always be a firm believer in the power of camp. At camp, kids take part in a different type of learning experience. Camp allows kids the opportunity to practice social skills, solve problems and peacefully interact with different personalities, take safe risks and push themselves out of their comfort zone, build lasting friendships, and learn about their environment and natural resources. I hope all children have the opportunity to experience a summer camp, and you will likely see a bit of the camp experience woven into our classroom experiences and my teaching style.
- Through and through, I love teaching. Being given the opportunity to foster a child's creative and critical thinking process and see them unfold the knowledge before them is absolutely the best job out there. I'm thrilled to start another adventure with your child.