Debbie Benton
Makawao,HI
Summary
Early childhood education professional, K-5, in both public and private schools, with history of creating and implementing comprehensive lesson plans that cater to diverse learning styles. Natural teacher skilled at boosting student social development, physical abilities and academic love for learning with strategic initiatives and hands on learning opportunities. Demonstrates reliability and flexibility to meet changing classroom needs while maintaining strong organizational and communication skills with colleagues and families.
I was born for this work!
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Kindergarten Teacher
Carden Academy of Maui
08.2022 - Current
- Developed and implemented engaging lesson plans aligned with state and Carden standards.
- Fostered a nurturing classroom environment that promoted social and emotional development.
- Utilized assessment tools to evaluate student progress and tailor instructional strategies.
- Established partnerships with community organizations to enrich educational programs and resources.
- Enhanced classroom management by establishing clear expectations, rules, and routines.
- Collaborated with colleagues to share resources, brainstorm ideas, and problem-solve challenges faced in the classroom environment.
- Implemented differentiated instruction strategies to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.
- Promoted learning through play with engaging activities, games and lessons.
- Promoted a positive learning environment with project based learning.
- Developed strong relationships with families to address any concerns or issues impacting student success.
- Recognized children's physical, emotional and social needs for personalized support.
- Exercised good classroom management focused on positive behavior support by clearly articulating fair and consistent expectations along with appropriate natural consequences.
- Coached Cross Country K-5, 2020-2025
- Led afterschool Embroidery Club, 2-6, 2022-2026
- Assisted coaching Track and Field, 2023-2024
- Sustainability Club Lead Teacher 2025-2026
Part Time Kindergarten Teacher's Assistant
Carden Academy
08.2021 - 05.2022
- Assisted in planning and implementing engaging lesson activities for diverse learning styles.
- Implemented classroom management strategies to maintain a positive learning environment.
- Collaborated with parents and lead teacher to support student development and address individual needs.
Part Time Kindergarten Math/Science Teacher
Carden Academy
08.2020 - 05.2021
- Implemented engaging lesson plans aligned with a newly adopted math curriculum for Carden.
- Fostered student understanding through hands-on experiments and interactive activities in both science and math.
- Assessed student performance and adapted instructional strategies to meet diverse learning needs.
- Collaborated with colleagues to enhance educational programs and share best practices.
Lead Teacher & Co Founder
ROOTS School Maui
08.2007 - 06.2019
- Created and Confounded a nonprofit alternative education, private school on the North Shore of Maui from the ground up, ROOTS School Maui. This in itself is one of my greatest accomplishments and took an indescribable amount of dedication, love, and hard work.
- As co-founder of the school and a board member, I attended meetings to foster transparent communication and strategic decision-making processes.
- Established foundational processes for business operations including creating policies, procedures, internal and external handbooks, employment contracts etc.
- Engaged in public forums to gather feedback from parents, educators, and community members.
- Recruited, interviewed and hired new staff members and developed training materials for employees.
- Mentored junior staff, teachers and student teachers, promoting professional development and knowledge sharing within the organization.
- Developed training materials and led onboarding sessions for new staff members.
- Collaboratively implemented cost-saving measures through effective budget management and expense tracking systems.
- Collaboratively managed financial operations, ensuring fiscal responsibility and maintaining profitability during periods of economic uncertainty.
- Established strategic partnerships to enhance brand visibility and market reach.
- Developed marketing materials and campaigns to boost brand awareness for the new school: flyers, informational pamphlets, managed social media platforms, created and maintained brand website, created logo campaign, researched and marketed school logo merchandise, etc.
- Provided exceptional customer service when addressing family inquiries or concerns via phone, email, text or in person meetings.
- Oversaw all school inventory by ordering and stocking classrooms and facilities for annual and monthly needs.
- Developed and deepened relationships with students, family members and faculty to promote optimal student learning environments.
- Oversaw scheduling and coordination of staff meetings, enhancing team collaboration and communication.
- Developed and implemented curriculum frameworks to enhance overall development and growth of every student K-1-2-3 in alignment with current state and national standards.
- Enhanced student learning by optimizing wide range of instructional approaches and innovative classroom activities incorporating best practices and instructional design.
- Assisted students of all ability levels develop life-long learning skills through project based learning.
- In addition to academic coursework, I taught PE (yoga, running, movement prep), daily Spanish Language, Art/Art History and Music/Singing/Ukulele.
- Developed assessment materials for incoming students K-1-2-3.
- Kept students on-task with proactive behavior modification when necessary and positive reinforcement strategies.
- Conferred with parents regularly and systematically about student progress to boost family involvement and enhance student support.
- Co-organized and led "Parent Work Days" to maintain the school grounds, gardens, and classrooms.
- Led Summer Camps for students K-5 including: Waterfall Adventure camps, Hiking and Exploring Maui camps, Art History/Art Immersion camps.
Kindergarten Teacher
Ashland School District
08.2001 - 06.2007
- Cultivated language skills through use of traditional poems, songs and riddles to help students develop comprehension, vocabulary and love of language.
- Encouraged and prepared students to become independent readers through systematic, multi-sensory instruction in phonemic awareness and decoding skills.
- Arranged parent-teacher conferences to address student progress and collaboratively set goals for areas of improvement.
- Delivered structured lessons on readiness skills by emphasizing phonics, language skills, literature and handwriting.
- Integrated outdoor education into lesson plans.
- Played games with students to increase understanding of subjects.
- Documented student attendance and progress against goals.
Student Teacher, Kindergarten And Third Grade
Ashland School District
08.2000 - 06.2001
- Developed lesson plans that incorporated mandated topics and included immersive activities for student engagement.
- Reviewed faculty handbooks, regional curricula and student guides to formulate deep understanding of duties and student expectations.
- Pursued every opportunity to grow abilities and take on increasing responsibility.
- Conferred with qualified teacher to establish instructional targets and prepare lessons to cover source topics.
- Investigated different teaching materials and techniques to understand strengths and weaknesses.
- Supported students outside of classroom environments by contributing to assemblies, athletic events and special performances.
Education
No Degree - Elementary Education
Southern Oregon University
Ashland, OR2001
Bachelor of Arts - Art, English, And Foreign Language
Southern Oregon University
Ashland, OR1998
Skills
- Leadership ability
- Relationship building
- Inventory organization
- Inspections and reviews
- Lesson planning
- Differentiated instruction
- Classroom management
- Program development and management
- Curriculum development and selection
- Behavioral improvements
- Student records management
- Team collaboration
- Problem-solving skills
- Spanish integration
- Art History & Art integration
- Yoga & PE classes integration
Timeline
Kindergarten Teacher
Carden Academy of Maui
08.2022 - Current
Part Time Kindergarten Teacher's Assistant
Carden Academy
08.2021 - 05.2022
Part Time Kindergarten Math/Science Teacher
Carden Academy
08.2020 - 05.2021
Lead Teacher & Co Founder
ROOTS School Maui
08.2007 - 06.2019
Kindergarten Teacher
Ashland School District
08.2001 - 06.2007
Student Teacher, Kindergarten And Third Grade
Ashland School District
08.2000 - 06.2001
Bachelor of Arts - Art, English, And Foreign Language
Southern Oregon University
No Degree - Elementary Education
Southern Oregon University