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.

Melanie
Administrative & Educational Assistant

Melanie holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education from Pacific Lutheran University. She spent the bulk of her teaching years in outdoor education in the Midwest. She and her husband raised their two daughters in Wisconsin and Oregon, then for several years near Spokane Washington, where Melanie was on staff at a small food bank. Growing up in Grants Pass, Melanie holds a special place in her heart for hiking in the mountains and spending time on the coast. She and her husband are drawn to the ocean, waterfalls, and lighthouses wherever they go. When she’s not serving people or hiking, she also loves to garden and rarely finds a book she wants to put down.

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.

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

Elizaveta “Lisa” is a scientist by training. She completed her PhD in X-ray Crystallography in 2012 in Spain and has worked in biosciences ever since – first for the University of Maryland and then for various companies. Currently, she is holding the title of Applications Scientist at Calibre Scientific, helping her employer manage their structural biology product portfolio.

She is very enthusiastic about STEM subjects and would especially love to see more girls in both biotech and tech sectors. Wherever she is, she tries to help young women achieve their professional goals. Since 2019, she has been mentoring high-school girls from underserved populations (volunteering project by a non-profit in Los Angeles) with the aim of helping them get into college and achieve their full potential.

In her free time, she likes to read, hike, talk loudly in 3 languages simultaneously, and play with her two black cats – Luna and Matrix.

Kathy
Teacher & Tutor

Kathy Erickson holds a BA from Chico State University, Oregon Professional Teaching certificate with a Reading Endorsement K-12, and Dyslexia Interventionist Certificate from Dyslexia Training Center.

Kathy is a lifelong learner staying up to date on practices that support student’s ability to read, write, compute, and comprehend.

Kathy has taught in Rogue Valley schools for 29 years. She has been with RVTC since 2018. Kathy lives in Medford with her husband where they have raised 3 children. When not teaching or studying Kathy loves the outdoors. She and her husband are often traveling to the coast. When home you will often find her hiking or walking with her dogs, biking with her husband or swimming laps at the Y.

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.