Ms. Morris was born in Stockton, California. College brought her to Berkeley, where she earned her B.A. in English at U.C. Berkeley. After completing her degree in 2001, she was accepted to be part of Teach For America, the national corps of teachers dedicated to closing the achievement gap by teaching at some of the nation’s most underperforming schools. Teach For America took her to Los Angeles, where she taught for three years at Gompers Middle School in the Watts area of South Los Angeles. While teaching at Gompers, she received her teaching credential through UCLA’s TeachLA program, with a special emphasis on Social Justice in Urban Education. Desiring to teach high school, she spent two years in L.A. teaching at Santa Monica High School. Graduate School brought Ms. Morris back to the Bay Area, where she recently received her Masters Degree in English Literature at San Francisco State University. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, reading and writing, running, and being outdoors. She has run several marathons and half marathons, and even completed the Los Angeles Marathon with several of her students in 2003.
Teaching Philosophy
Every student has individual strengths and unique experiences. It is necessary for the teacher and students to form a partnership in order to discover and capitalize on these strengths.
Wish List
Ms. Morris hopes that parents will volunteer their time, both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities. She would also love books for her classroom library.
Awards and Achievements
Ms. Morris’ awards and achievements include The UCLA Writing Project fellowship, Teach For America Corps Member and Corps Member Advisor, and former English Department Chair at Gompers Middle School.
