Sunflower Room: Jasmine, Solongo, Sasha
Rose Room: Summer, Gloria, Anna, Amairani
Laurel Room: Diana, Jagaa, Jessica S.
Maple Room: Tiffany, Laura, Sharon
Aspen Room: Tim, Muna
Willow Room: Jolin, Gerry, Erika
Azalea Room: Laurie, Cortney, Miriam
Sunflower Room Lead Teacher
Baigal Enkhjargal
Everyone calls me Jasmine. I was born and spent most of my life in Mongolia, until coming to the US in 2004. I started working at West Hills Learning Center in 2007 as a substitute teacher and am now an assistant teacher in the Sunflower Room. I have always enjoyed working with children. Seeing them grow, explore, and develop is very rewarding.
In my free time I enjoy reading, watching new shows, playing volleyball and traveling. My goal is to someday travel throughout Europe, visiting all the places that interest me. I am a full time evening student at Portland State University working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree.
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Rose Room Lead Teacher
Summer Anne Jelly
I am the Lead Teacher in the Rose Room. I have worked at West Hills since 2004 as a floater, assistant teacher and lead teacher. I was born and raised in Indiana. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in History at Indiana University. After college, I moved to the Northwest and soon created a new home for myself. In 2003, I completed one year of volunteer work for Americorps where I discovered a passion for teaching young children. I have earned my Early Childhood Certificate from Portland Community College.
My children Porter and Abhaya both previously attended West Hills Learning Center. Some of the things I enjoy doing to relax include spending time outdoors with my family, reading, and sometimes, on a sunny day, doing nothing at all!
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Laurel Room Lead Teacher
Diana Reda
I am the lead teacher in the Laurel Class. I was born in Beirut Lebanon and was a teacher for 1st and 2nd graders until I moved to the United States in 2000. I have two beautiful children, Adam and Dalida who I enjoy spending my time with.
I have completed my Child Development Associate (CDA) degree. And I am working towards my Early Child Education (ECE) degree. I have been teaching in the Laurel room since November of 2007. I enjoy watching the children and seeing them grow.
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Maple Room Lead Teacher
Tiffany Jeffords
I am the lead teacher of the Maple Room. I grew up in Klamath Falls, Oregon and when I was 16 my family moved to Portland. After graduating from Wilson High, I got my first job at West Hills. This last August marks my 4th time coming back to West Hills and teaching kids. I have worked for other centers in the last 20 years, been a nanny and also had an in-home child care center of my own.
I have been married for 14 years and we have 2 boys ages 10 and 12. I have a step-daughter who is 20. Our cockapoo, Newman, completes the family! In my free time I enjoy hanging out with my family, camping, watching football, reading for my book group, and scrap booking. I am also an avid BLAZER fan!
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Aspen Room Lead Teacher
Timothy Frank
You can call me Tim. I am currently the lead teacher in the Aspen room and I have been working with children here at West Hills for the last 6 years. It has been nothing short of life changing. I started college with the intent of becoming a high school History teacher, but after working with children for so many years, I realized how important these early years are for children and how influential one can be in their lives if they make the effort. I find it very rewarding to work with children, fostering independence by giving them the tools they need to be successful – paying special attention to their interactions and teaching them conflict resolution skills.
I come from a family of six, all of which (myself included) are, or have been, teachers. In my spare time I participate in both outdoor and indoor rock climbing, and I also enjoy camping, mountain biking, rafting and many other outdoor activities.
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Willow Room Lead Teacher
Jolin Milberg
I am the Lead Teacher in the Willow room. I am a parent of a four year old and have taught preschool through fifth grade. I am credentialed in Oregon, Washington and California. I recently received my MA in Teaching from the University of Southern California. Prior to that, I earned a BA in Communications and Theatre from Chapman University. I am founding member of Public Playhouse, a nonprofit theatre company, and I am a performing artist, director and producer.
No matter the age group, my goal with every classroom is to create a community in which children are motivated to pursue understanding and feel safe to take risks. Instruction in my classroom is individualized, cooperative and child-centered. Tasks are meaningful and developmentallly appropriate. Music, visual art and drama are interwoven into daily instruction. Each student brings different gifts to the clasroom, and as such, I adjust my teaching to suit their needs. Each child is a unique individual and teaching methodologies need to be as diverse and flexible as the children entrusted to our care.
I think the most important thing I learned from my education and experience is that children are competent individuals who are capable of many things if given the opportunity. I have found that it is my job to build on their knowledge as well as interests. I do this by adding things to the environment, creating more challenging situations, making suggestions, asking questions and making comments that encourage critical thinking.
In my free time I love to read, do crafts, paint, snowboard, shop, and spend time with friends and family. My family also works here at West Hills. My brothers are Josh and Tim, my sister is Rachel, and my parents are Steve and Nancy.
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Azelea Room Lead Teachers
Cortney Standish
I am a pre kindergarten/kindergarten teacher in the Azalea Room. I moved to Portland from Southern California to finish my BS degree in psychology, emphasizing my studies in child and family relations at Portland State. I’ve always know that I wanted to work with children and be a positive role model in their lives. I received my Masters of Arts in Teaching from George Fox University and did student teaching at Capitol Hill Elementary School and Mary Rieke Elementary School, where I taught kindergarten.
My favorite thing about teaching is watching the progression of understanding that takes place as children are presented with a new idea, grapple with it and then finally, grasp the concept and relate it to the world around them. That “light” that comes on in their minds is magic to watch happen and it is so much fun to challenge their thinking and watch how much they learn and grow throughout the year.
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Laurie Haney
I have been a pre-kindergarten/kindergarten team teacher here in the Azalea Room since September, 1992. I have a degree in Elementary Education and an Early Childhood Education Degree. I have been involved in Early Childhood Education for twenty-seven years.
I live with John, my husband of twenty-five years. I am a native Oregonian. I like to collect frog objects and wear fun and unique earrings. In my spare time, I enjoy reading romance novels.
One of my professional goals is to continue developing and implementing high quality early childhood education in the classroom. As an educator, I have an opportunity to help young children build a strong foundation for the love of learning which will help them succeed later in life. This is why I am inspired to teach young children. I am looking forward to building relationships with the children, parents and staff here at West Hills Learning Center.
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