Andrea Hatakeyama
San Jose,CA
Summary
Dedicated educator with experience in elementary and early childhood education, creating nurturing, inclusive, stimulating and welcoming environments for young learners. Skilled in designing tailored curriculum that supports academic, social, and emotional growth, and known for a warm, collaborative, relationship-centered approach that positively impacts student development, family partnership and team collaboration.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Early Preschool Teacher
Mandala Children’s House
San Jose, CA
09.2023 - Current
- Implement Montessori philosophy and methods with children ages 2-3, including hands-on, child-led learning, purposeful materials, and individualized work cycles that support independence and concentration.
- Design and maintain a developmentally appropriate classroom and curriculum, including rotating materials intentionally to scaffold skills and ensuring the environment promotes autonomy, self-direction and independence to enhance children's social, emotional, and cognitive skills.
- Guide hands-on Montessori practical life, language, and math experiences that support fine-motor, independence and self-agency, early literacy, and numeracy development.
- Conduct daily observations to assess individual children's developmental milestones and sensitive periods to adapt teaching strategies and curriculum as needed.
- Guide children in conflict resolution, emotional regulation, and collaborative problem-solving using respectful, developmentally appropriate practices.
- Redirect students using positive discipline, natural consequences, and respect for the child.
- Build strong partnerships with families through daily communication, conferences, and progress reports to foster trust and cooperation in supporting each child's educational journey..
- Improved student communication skills by incorporating group projects and collaborative activities.
- Collaborate as part of a teaching team to effectively provide a safe, calm, engaging, inclusive, and warm environment for students.
- Maintain vigilant classroom supervision and adhere to all school policies, licensing regulations and safety standards.
First Grade Teacher
Franklin Elementary School
Jose, CA
07.2008 - 06.2020
- Fostered a classroom environment conducive to learning and promoting excellent student/teacher interaction.
- Established a positive classroom environment promoting respect, collaboration, and enthusiasm for learning.
- Developed engaging First Grade unit lesson plans for individualized, small group and whole class settings to foster literacy and numeracy skills.
- Collaborated with colleagues to develop interdisciplinary lessons that connected subjects such as math, science, social studies, and language arts.
- Conducted small guided reading groups and small group centers to build on literacy and reading comprehension skills.
- Implemented individualized instruction strategies tailored to meet varied student learning needs.
- Executed response to intervention strategies for struggling students.
- Implemented small group after-school reading program.
- Mentored new teachers by sharing best practices for classroom management and lesson delivery techniques.
- Built positive relationships with parents to involve families in educational process.
- Coordinated learning community events to promote community involvement and enhance student engagement in activities.
- Directed school-to-home reading program for entire school, and GATE program.
- Executed extracurricular afterschool GATE classes for 3rd-6th Grade students, including dance, crafts and art.
Education
No Degree - Early Childhood Education
San Jose City College
San Jose, CaliforniaTeacher's Credential - Multiple Subject Elementary Education
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA05-2006
Bachelor of Arts - Sociology
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, California09.2005
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Sophia University
Tokyo, Japan07.2005
Skills
- Strong work ethic and dependable
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Collaborative teamwork
- Positive reinforcement techniques
- Social skills development
- Social-emotional learning
Certification
- San Francisco State University
- San Francisco, CA
- Multiple Subject Teacher’s Credential #090143942
- Expecting to apply for PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Credential upon completion of 24 ECE credits at the end of Spring '26 semester (May 2026)
Timeline
Early Preschool Teacher
Mandala Children’s House
09.2023 - Current
First Grade Teacher
Franklin Elementary School
07.2008 - 06.2020
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Sophia University
No Degree - Early Childhood Education
San Jose City College
Teacher's Credential - Multiple Subject Elementary Education
San Francisco State University
Bachelor of Arts - Sociology
University of California, Irvine
Professional Development
- GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) San Jose, CA 07/07
- Step Up to Writing San Jose, CA 11/09
- Montessori Fundamentals EC course online through The Center for Guided Montessori Studies 10/23
- Positive Discipline online through Trillium Montessori Courses 01/25