Meet Ms. Kuan
My name is Grace Kuan and I am looking forward to my fifth year of teaching in Cupertino! I have taught one year in second grade and for the past three years have been teaching first grade at Meyerholz Elementary in the Cupertino Language Immersion Program (CLIP) teaching Mandarin and English in a self-contained classroom. I am excited about another year in CLIP teaching first grade!
I graduated from Mills College (a women's liberal arts college in Oakland, CA) in 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Child Development. I received my Masters Degree in Teaching, elementary teaching credential and BCLAD (Bilingual Crosscultural Language in Academic Development) certification in Mandarin from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2005.
I am the eldest of three, with a sister working towards her Masters Degree in advertising in Virginia, and a brother who is working on his undergraduate studies in history in Taiwan. My parents continue to live in Hsinchu, Taiwan, the city in which I grew up and attended middle and high school.
In my spare time, I love to spend
time with my family and friends. I also love to design and organize, take ballet and pilates, watch Broadway musicals, go on hikes, and make cards for family and friends.
Teaching Philosophy
In my classroom, an atmosphere of safety, trust and respect are cultivated as we work to build a sense of community and teamwork. I value cooperation and collaboration both in my classroom and as I work with my peers. I believe that great things can happen when we work together! I believe that every student’s education should provide them with a solid foundation in academics and socio-emotional intrapersonal skills. Instruction needs to be tailored to suit a child’s learning style for optimized learning outcomes. My instruction is based on the California Content Standards but driven by assessment results in order to differentiate instruction for each student. I believe that confidence and positive self esteem help students to fully develop their potential. Students need to be encouraged to explore and question, be given the tools to carry out their own investigations, and feel successful at their attempts. I embrace each student as they are but help them to see their own potential as they continue to develop and grow. Every student is unique and is celebrated for who they are.
