cahill-nana
Hello and welcome! My name is Nana Ito Cahill and this is my sixth year teaching and my first year here at El Rancho. I feel very fortunate to be here! In the past, I have taught various levels of math from Pre-Algebra, Algebra and Geometry and this year I am very excited to be teaching Life Science. I was born and raised in Southern California and left for the Big Island of Hawaii after high school to attend the University of Hawaii. I graduated with degrees in Philosophy and Psychology and went on to teach English in Japan for a year where I fell in love with the world of teaching. When I came back from Japan, I obtained a Post-Bac in Education at Arizona State University and the rest is history! Now I wake up everyday excited to teach and I love my job!
My teaching philosophy is simple: Every student can enjoy learning. It is my daily challenge to find ways to get into a student’s mind so that they are able to understand a concept and feel good about it. I strive to get my students to enjoy learning and overcome any fears or anxieties they have in math or science. I guess you could say I expect 100% success with a smile. Overcoming this challenge is what I enjoy most about teaching.
When I am not teaching, I enjoy being around family and friends. I am very close to my mom and older brother Tom. I also love spending time with my husband Jason and my two sweet dogs, Gilbert and Millhouse. Gilbert is a Siberian Husky with one blue eye and one brown eye. Millhouse is a Boston Terrier who likes to give high fives. One of the best parts of my day is when we take a walk around the neighborhood. Besides that, I love going to the beach, watching movies, going to yoga classes, exercising, traveling, listening to music, going out to breakfast on weekends, and reading a good book. Some of my favorite books are: Catcher in the Rye, Eat Love Pray, and Breaking Dawn. I am looking forward to a very fulfilling first year at El Rancho! If you are ever near room 801, please feel free to stop in and say Hi!
