My name is Julie Goldberg and I am so excited to be a part of the Kindezi family where I can share my passion for empowering children through love and excellent education with the Old Fourth Ward community. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Pacific Lutheran University and a Master of Arts degree in elementary education from the University of New Mexico. I have been teaching for the last four years but have been working in education in various roles for the last eight years. My most recent teaching experience includes middle school English in Rio Rancho, New Mexico and secondary English at an international school in Kathmandu, Nepal. After working internationally and being part of an organization that focused on transformation through education, I knew when I moved back to the U.S. that I would need to find a special school to be a part of that went beyond the standard public school environment and lived out education reform instead of just talking (or even complaining) about what could be with public education. I feel so blessed to be a part of Kindezi, which closely practices the beliefs I hold as a teacher --that education should be a place where our children excel because they are held to a high standard in a supportive, loving environment. My son goes to the middle school at Kindezi West Lake so I intimately understand the Kindezi values as a parent and as a teacher. When I am not dreaming and planning best practices in my classroom, I love to travel, volunteer in refugee support programs, create art and be with my wonderful family.