Kaia Huseby
3rd Grade
B.A. Bryn Mawr College, English
Ed. M. Harvard Graduate School of Education
First Year Teaching 1997
First Year Teaching at Gateway 2007
Experience Kaia taught 4th grade at an independent K-9 school in New Haven, CT. She then spent a year in Oaxaca, Mexico, training teachers to use art, games, and theater to educate indigenous children about preventative health. Kaia's graduate work in Mind, Brain, and Education focused on the educational implications of recent research in cognitive neuroscience. Her thesis topic was the development of children's mathematical understanding.
"Children grow and learn best in a safe and supportive environment, where they feel that they can trust each other, take creative risks, and learn from their mistakes," Kaia explains. "I try to help children understand how they learn and what helps them to learn; self-reflection and communication are critical skills that we practice daily. I love to see children do things that they never thought they could do before. Often, children surprise themselves when learning changes their minds and enables them to see something from a new perspective. I am fascinated by how different learners think through problems and encourage my students to articulate the strategies they use so that we can learn from one another."
One of Kaia's favorite third grade activities is the construction of an Ohlone house, from willow branches and tule grasses.
Kaia's interestes include hiking, painting, weaving, yoga, traveling, and learning languages (her first language was Norwegian). She enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.
