What strikes you most about the students at Hillbrook?
Students at Hillbrook are joyful. They run, skip, and hop across this beautiful campus, smiling ear to ear. Children at Hillbrook play hard and work hard. I love observing them on campus, climbing trees, building forts, and laughing with their classmates. Students at Hillbrook are certainly enjoying being children! When you think about the students at Hillbrook, what’s the one thing that stands out to you? Hillbrook students are comfortable talking to anyone and everyone. As I load students on the bus at the end of the day, I like to ask them how their day was and they often share anecdotes that are so precious. I also love that many of them will share about their day and then ask me how my day was.
What is your favorite unit or project?
My favorite subject to teach is math because we teach deep, conceptual understanding at Hillbrook. Students are engaging in daily problem-solving and making sense of math. Our hope is that this will develop a strong math foundation in our students and a love of learning math that will serve them well as they work their way through their future math classes. Another highlight of my day is Morning Meeting. I love the connections we build during this daily routine. Our classroom community ends up feeling a lot like a family!
What made you choose to teach at Hillbrook?
I first encountered this lovely school in 1998 when I was relocating to San Jose from Orange County. A friend of mine knew of the school and suggested I contact the new head of school at the time. We met and connected immediately, both personally and professionally. I started teaching 2nd grade. Hillbrook has been like a second home to me. There have been so many changes over the years and it has been fun and challenging to evolve with the school. What are you most looking forward to at Hillbrook in the next few months? A 4th grade highlight is the 3-day trip to Coloma, where the first piece of gold was discovered resulting in the famous “Gold Rush!” We spend a lot of time preparing for this trip. For many students, this is the first time they will be away from their homes and parents. Being a part of such a significant trip is an honor.
What is the last place you visited?
This summer my extended family traveled to Lake Tahoe to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Ms. Butler!