Liz Cass
Kindergarten
B.A. University of California, Berkeley, English & Physical Education
First Year Teaching 1969
First Year Teaching at Gateway 1986
Experience Liz began her teaching career in Hayward, California before teaching in Yokahma, Japan. She returned to the U.S. and taught seventeen years in the Cupertino District. Over the years, she experienced many trends in teaching including the self-contained classroom, integrated orthopedic classroom, pods and team teaching. She taught kindergarten, first, second and fourth grades. She also worked as a special needs teacher. After the birth of her son, Liz stayed home for five years before returning to the classroom.
"Teaching has been my profession for more than forty years," Liz says. "I have experienced many changes, but I still find the classroom exciting, giving me opportunities for continued growth. Teaching continues to demand stretching, being creative, and learning new ways to assist children to understand and make connections. Education is not static but is alive and influenced by the needs of the students for success in later life. It is this dimension of teaching which keeps me young at heart. It asks of me to build relationships with both the children and their families. It asks of me to be a guide in a journey to independent and motivated learners. In the classroom you form a small family, practicing life skills of kindness and respect. It is this skills, embedded in the everyday curriculum, which give children a strong foundation and make every day a new adventure."
