Lori
Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Teacher & Tutor

Lori was raised in Medford, Oregon. Passionate about horses as a youth and young adult, Lori gave horse riding lessons to younger riders and realized she loved teaching. She then focused on a career in education. Lori holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Southern Oregon University. She has taught in public schools for over 35 years in grades 3 through 6. Lori has also worked as a mentor to new teachers in Medford and Grants Pass. She especially enjoys integrating core subjects with art and open-ended thinking strategies to help students to become life-long learners. Lori is married and has raised 2 children. Besides teaching, she enjoys gardening, rafting/boating, hiking, reading and spending time with family and friends.

Megan
Site Coordinator

Megan was born and raised in Grants Pass. She attended Boise Bible College where she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Family Ministry. Megan has worked at churches in Idaho and Oregon in administrative and educational roles. In her free time, Megan coaches volleyball in Grants Pass and plays sports on co-ed teams for softball and volleyball.

Claire
Teacher & Tutor

Claire was born and raised in Denver, CO. She began teaching dance in the 7th grade and has been happily teaching ever since. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering and a Master’s degree in Mineral and Energy Economics from the Colorado School of Mines. After enjoying the Rogue Valley lifestyle she moved to Anaconda, Montana with her husband and two dogs. When Claire is not teaching she enjoys cooking, writing and drawing.

Kathleen
Teacher & Tutor

Kathleen’s favorite activity is to make sure her students have fun while they are learning. She grew up in southern California, is married and has four children. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and family services from Corban University and a Master’s in Teaching from Concordia University.
Kathleen enjoys gardening, reading, baking and her collection of animals.

Laura
Teacher & Tutor

Laura was born in Oregon, and spent the majority of her growing up years here. She was excited to return to Oregon a few years ago after teaching overseas in Asia for almost seven years. She taught in public and private schools in Japan and South Korea where she instructed students from age one through adult. Laura began her career in education teaching elementary school in private schools in the Greater Los Angeles area, where she also tutored for a year at a private tutoring agency. Laura holds a B.A. in Sociology from Pepperdine University, as well as an M.A. Theology from Fuller Seminary. She also studied in an M.A. Education program at Biola University, as well as UCLA’s post-graduate program in Interior Design and Architecture. Laura holds a TESOL certificate, and enjoys working with students cross-culturally. Laura’s hobbies include travel, piano, calligraphy, hiking, and exploring the arts. Fun facts: Laura has visited 23 countries and over half of the U.S.; she studied abroad for two semesters in London, U.K.; and she was a contestant in the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. during elementary school. Laura loves working with students and encouraging them to develop to the fullest of their potential!

Paul
Teacher & Tutor

Paul Kaveney holds an MA in Romance Languages from the University of Oregon and has taught Spanish for three years. Additionally, he has worked as an educational assistant, private tutor, and done volunteer work in middle school classrooms. He greatly enjoys working with students and getting them to realize their academic potential. He specializes in Spanish, French, language arts, and math.

Ruth
Teacher & Tutor

My philosophy of teaching revolves around the core idea that teaching is a science, not an art. I believe in teaching to the whole child in a holistic fashion. It is also important for the instructor to determine how different students acquire knowledge. Using problem-solving activities and cognitive games students use a higher brain function. It teaches them “how to learn” and gives them the skills they need to think critically. Students should actively read, write and talk about local events and activities that affect their daily lives. I believe teaching reading is one of the most important jobs of an Elementary teacher. Reading is essential to functioning academically in all subjects and necessary to becoming a global citizen. It needs to be taught in-depth taking into account all of the big five components to include phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension accompanied with continuous monitoring and assessment. Having a daily literacy routine will allow students to know what is expected of them, minimize behavior management and meet the needs of diverse learners. With each lesson I teach I am constantly evaluating students understanding.

My philosophy of teaching mathematics and STEM is similar in that I believe it is not a passive activity. It too requires active engagement from teacher and student. I subscribe to the research put forth by Jo Boaler of Stanford University. People are not born mathematicians, it takes practice to train our brains to think using a growth mindset. Using math applications and games students are able to see patterns and connections. Students’ often express mathematics understandings differently it is important to embrace this. I believe in multiple representations of mathematical ideas (Boaler, 2010). First, students learn in different ways. Second, knowing multiple representations and methods makes it easier for students to problem solve. Arming them with different ways to solve a problem makes them less likely to give up and more likely to succeed in solving it. Using multiple assessment tools allows me to evaluate my students much more accurately such as interviews, portfolios, quizzes, writing assignments and asking learners to write and solve their own problems which leads to higher
level thinking skills.

Sarah
Teacher & Tutor

Sarah fell in love with teaching while working as a reading tutor for three years at a K-8 charter school in the Portland area. She went on to get her Master of Arts in Teaching with an ESOL endorsement from Multnomah University. She then had the amazing experience of teaching third grade at an international school in Malaysia. Upon returning to the US and settling in Medford, Sarah stepped out of classroom teaching as she and her husband welcomed their sweet daughter into their family. Sarah is thrilled to be back in the role that first drew her to teaching – working one-on-one and with small groups of students to help them develop as learners. Sarah enjoys getting outdoors with her family, cooking (and eating!) Indian food, and reading late into the night.

Shayla
Teacher & Tutor

Born and raised in Southern Oregon but received her education in Utah at Brigham Young University receiving a degree in Special Education and a TESOL minor. She worked at an elementary school in Provo, UT before moving to Eugene, OR where her husband attended school. While there she taught at an alternative high/middle school as the SpEd Coordinator and multisubject and grade teacher. Once her husband finished school she took a job at the Medford School District as a Special Education Behavior Specialist serving several schools in the district. After taking a year off after having her first son, she went back as a tutor and substitute and has been enjoying the part time teaching and full time mom role. She had her second son in the prime of the COVID pandemic and has loved having the extra chance to spend time with her growing family. She enjoys staying active through sports and all things outdoors. When otherwise confined, she loves playing in the kitchen and finding creative ways to serve others around her with her family.

Pamela
Head Preschool Teacher & Tutor

Our Lead Teacher, Miss Pamela is excited to join the RVTC family. She is a highly qualified early educator with 30+ years of experience in education and early childhood development. Pamela holds a bachelors in Human Services with an emphasis on child development. She completed the Teacher Credential Program in California with a focus on kindergarten and special education. She has been a preschool teacher, director for Head Start, and a Teacher for Jackson County Early Intervention Program.

Lisa
Teacher & Tutor

Susanna
Teacher & Tutor

For over 20 years, Susanna has been helping students unlock the mysteries of math–and she still loves her job. Susanna was raised in Grants Pass and lives there now with her husband, children and grandchildren. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics from Southern Oregon University. She has worked with children in kindergarten up to adult learners. Her favorite student is the one who, even when struggling, keeps trying. Math is based on logic and common sense, and Susanna loves to show students that they can do math.

Catherine
Teacher & Tutor

Catherine enjoys seeing the light bulb go on for students, especially with math concepts. She has been tutoring in the Rogue Valley for 5 years in Math, English, general subjects and SAT prep. She also teaches classical piano. She received a BA in Economics and Slavic Languages from UC Berkeley, and a MA in International Relations from USC, with concentrations in Russian, International Economics and Statistics.

Emily
Teacher & Tutor

A life-long Rogue Valley resident, Emily loves the beauty of the seasons as well as the short distance to rivers and outdoor activities that the Rogue Valley has to offer. She lives in Central Point with her husband and two children, Isabel, age 20, and Daniel, age 17. Emily has always had a love for learning and teaching, which compelled her to homeschool. Through homeschooling, she has been involved in Classical Conversations, a homeschool community where students are led by a tutor in a classroom setting each week to study and discuss with other students a wide range of subjects. Through CC she taught the grammar and writing program for four years, as well as directing Challenge A, the CC program for 7th graders which covers a variety of subjects, including literature, grammar, Latin, geography, logic, science, and apologetics, and is currently directing Challenge 2, a high school-level course covering literature, grammar, Latin, biology, logic, and Western Cultural History. In addition to this, Emily is fluent in Spanish, and has done translation work and taught many classes in both the charter school setting and the private sector, as well as tutored students going through Spanish programs at both Pacific Bible College and Rogue Community College. When she’s not teaching, Emily loves to spend time with friends and family, and enjoys hiking, gardening, swimming, and camping. Additionally, one of her passions is arranging flowers for weddings and special occasions.