Meet Our Teachers

At our core, we are passionate educators who believe that the best approach is to adopt a new one for each student. We customize every class to reach students who need extra attention and students who need an extra challenge.

A - Z

Anena Otii :: aotii@sileducation.com
Instructor of French, Spanish & Italian

Born in a small rural village in northern Uganda and raised in East Africa, Europe, and the United Sates, Anena Otii’s life of international travel has prepared her well for her current position as a teacher of several romance languages. And we have her to thank for the flowers scattered throughout the campus.

Anena holds a BA in Anthropological Sciences with a specialization in Historical Linguistics from Stanford University. While at Stanford, Anena completed the grammars of French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Swahili to augment her background in linguistics, ease communication with relatives in Europe, and assist in gathering international humanitarian aid for internally displaced refugees in Eastern Africa.

One of Anena's most rewarding experiences as an educator happens when students apply their academic abilities to the task of internalizing grammar, so that they may generate spontaneous expressions of language. To foster this linguistic growth, Anena uses a conversational method based on Maria Montessori’s renowned theory: the teacher is the guide and source of motivation. Anena believes that empowering students to direct their own progress produces better language learners, and germinates the seeds of independence that SIL strives to cultivate in each student.

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Casey Hollister :: chollister@sileducation.com
Instructional Coordinator
Science Department Chair
Instructor of Science & English

Casey Hollister is a teacher in both the science and English departments and serves as our Instructional Coordinator and Science Department Chair. As Instructional Coordinator, she works closely as a resource for faculty, ensuring a standard of student-centered classrooms and ongoing professional development.

She holds a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where her work focused on student-oriented curriculum and generative learning. Casey is an experienced teacher with a background in education consulting and teacher professional development. She has a profound respect for the role of the learner in education, and she brings insight into how learners build understanding and how powerful instruction can stimulate best thinking.

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Debbie Kohn :: dkohn@sileducation.com
Instructor of American Sign Language

Debbie Kohn began her career in the ASL/Deaf Education field while attending Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, CA. She began learning American Sign Language (ASL) at the College of San Mateo in the 1970's and volunteered with deaf children in San Mateo County's Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing program. She loved this so much that she decided to focus her career on education for the deaf. She became a sign language interpreter for deaf students while attending California State University, Northridge (recognized as one of the best programs for the deaf and for deaf educators). Debbie received her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies and her M.A. in Special Education for the Deaf. She also has her Multiple Subject teaching credential and her Communication Handicapped credential (preschool through high school, regular education and special education).

Debbie taught deaf chilren in Pasedena, CA before moving back to the Bay Area, and then taught at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont. After teaching for 16 years, Debbie decided to focus on her young children, and felt lucky to be able to become a stay-at-home-mother. She has remained very active in the Los Altos School District where her two sons were educated. She also occasionally volunteers for Santa Clara County's Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing program.

With her two sons grown, Debbie has resumed her passion for teaching and is now SIL's ASL teacher. In her free time, Debbie enjoys socializing with her deaf and hearing friends, goes everywhere with her dog, volunteers for animal rescue groups, and loves to read.

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Elaheh Sigari :: esigari@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics

Biography coming soon.

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Harmony Ausiello :: hausiello@sileducation.com
Instructor of Science

A native of Pacifica, CA, Harmony teaches physics and math at SIL. She earned her Bachelors in Physics from San Francisco State University. Harmony enjoys helping fuel her students’ curiosities about the subjects they study and believes that learning and teaching should be fun. She describes herself as striving to be the bridge between intimidation and confidence for students of science and math.

Her love for science teaching aside, Harmony likes spending time with her dog, Dela, and singing, dancing, watching basketball, and furthering her education.

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Hy Tang :: htang@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics

Hy Tang graduated from Millersville University of Pennsylvania with a BS double-major in Mathematics and Physics and a minor in History. At Millersville, Hy was an active member and leader in the MU Physics Club and in the Student Senate, serving as a Student Senator and the Recording Secretary. Hy served on a number of student and faculty committees, helping to establish the shuttle bus service.

Education has always been of great importance to Hy, his parents, and his family. Hy was a peer tutor in high school and college, and enjoys teaching students of all ages. Trust, respect, and support are essential factors in his outlook on education. He sees building rapport as key to reaching students.

In his spare time, Hy enjoys reading and watching science fiction. He is also the sous-chef for our weekly Friday BBQ.

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Kelly Speth :: kspeth@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics

Kelly graduated from USC with an MA in Teaching and earned a BS in Biological Sciences with a minor in German from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She teaches math at SIL, a subject she has enjoyed since high school.

She places great importance on meeting each of her students' needs and ensures that she is considering an individual's interests and goals when deciding on a teaching approach for each lesson. Kelly’s favorite part of teaching at SIL is being able to tailor classes directly to student needs and watching them learn and grow.

Kelly leads an active lifestyle and enjoys playing beach volleyball and recreational coed football. She also loves camping, travel and, of course, studying math.

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Kyle Taylor :: ktaylor@sileducation.com
Instructor of Science

As a teacher of both chemistry and biology, Kyle is interested in how the two subjects are interrelated. One of his favorite things about teaching chemistry and biology at SIL is being able to use hands-on methods in lab experiments, and then exploring the connections between lab and classroom learning. Kyle strives to make chemistry seem less intimidating and he credits the one-to-one SIL classroom with helping him achieve this goal.

Kyle is a native of Abilene, Kansas. He earned his PhD from Stanford in Cell and Molecular Biology and graduated from Iowa State with a BS in Agricultural Biochemistry and Agronomy. He has taught in elementary schools and colleges and has experience working as a mentor for high school students.

Outside of the classroom, Kyle enjoys doing plant biology research at a community lab and hopes to co-run a lab where he can use exciting molecular biology tools and tricks. He expresses his artistic side through stippling, a form of drawing using small dots to create an image.

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Liliana Cabral :: lcabral@sileducation.com
Instructor of Spanish

Biography coming soon.

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Melissa Graeber :: mgraeber@sileducation.com
English Department Chair
Instructor of English

Melissa Graeber was first introduced to the world of alternative education at the age of nine, when she was selected to join the experimental publicly funded GATE program. She then graduated as valedictorian from Mid Peninsula High School. These early experiences in alternative education underpin her democratic and patient approach to teaching.

Melissa has lived throughout the western United States, from New Orleans to Arcata. She grew up on the Peninsula, more often than not in her father’s high school classroom. Her father, a nominee for The National Teacher of The Year Award, remains her biggest influence to this day.

Melissa holds a BA in Literature from San Francisco State University, where she served as a Teacher’s Assistant for writing and literature classes. She plans to pursue a Masters in Education.

Melissa, as our English Department Chair, has been instrumental in the overhaul of our English curriculum set, moving away from textbook-based learning and toward an online, living curriculum. Whether examining the literary narrative of video games, demonstrating how music and literature have reinforced each other, or helping students to publish their original short stories, Melissa is dedicated to helping students discover their passion and talent through reading and writing (all while mastering proper use of the semi-colon, of course).

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Michael Murphy :: mmurphy@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics

Michael Murphy hails from Milan, Illinois. He moved to California when he was ten years old, and has embraced life by the Bay. He holds an MS in Pure Mathematics from CSU East Bay, and a BS in Math Teaching.

He teaches with passionate enthusiasm that's motivating and contagious. When Mike’s not teaching math at SIL, he's working with gifted children on the weekends. To support his teaching, he regularly attends professional workshops on applied behavioral analysis.

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Michael Kahn :: mkahn@sileducation.com
Instructor of Social Studies & English

Michael Kahn teaches history, economics, government, and English. Mike holds a BA in Political Science, with minors in History and Philosophy, from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. While in the nation's capital, Mike immersed himself in the DC political landscape, and worked for various campaigns and at a local talk radio station. He was the senior editor and a columnist for Independence Magazine, a highly regarded weekly GWU student publication.

After a decade in the legal profession, Mike made a move certain to shock the many teachers he'd once frustrated as a young student: he became a teacher. Mike's experience as an unfocused student -- one who overcame his own limitations -- informs his compassionate approach to teaching.

“The first task for students and their teachers is to figure out how their own minds work, and then to approach learning with this awareness. Our one-to-one approach offers a unique opportunity to engage students, and I do so however I can.”

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Nathan Readey :: nreadey@sileducation.com
Instructor of Social Studies and English

Nathan teaches English and social studies, and he especially enjoys teaching philosophy. He believes in the importance of developing intellectual courage, which empowers students to explore new ground. Nathan also takes seriously the development of students’ critical thinking skills. His favorite subject in high school was English because of its invitation to think critically and express ones own thoughts and opinions.

Nathan is from Kansas City, Missouri, and received his BA in Religious Studies from Colorado College. After college he worked for non-profits in Kansas City including a community foundation and a child advocacy organization. Nathan moved to California in 2012 and began teaching at SIL just moments after landing.

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Nick Rocha :: nrocha@sileducation.com
Student Government Advisor
Instructor of Mathematics & Economics

Nick was born in Mountain View, California, and was raised in San Jose. He left the Bay to attend UCLA, where he studied Economics with an emphasis in Accounting. At UCLA Nick mentored students at Los Angeles elementary schools through programs such as America Reads and Amigos.

As the first person in his family to graduate from a four-year university, Nick is a role model to students. And now as our Student Government Advisor, Nick cultivates a profound sense of community among our full-time and dual-enrollment students alike.

Nick has always centered himself through sport. He attended Piedmont Hills High School, where he wrestled and played golf and hockey. He played hockey at UCLA, and is often on the basketball court or golf course. When he’s not teaching or putting, Nick invests in his family and in the stock market.

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Rodrigue Khalil :: rkhalil@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics & Physics

Rodrigue attended the University of Montreal, Canada. He studied Physics, Mathematics, and Education with a credentialing focus on high school mathematics. During his studies and since, Rodrigue has always sought stimulating and challenging teaching experiences.

His teaching career has been very rich. He taught in Senegal for three months and in 2011 he taught deaf high school students in Montreal. Afterwards, he moved to an Eskimo community in Northern Quebec to teach for a year and finally, he is here among SIL faculty in Los Altos.

Whether it is sunny, windy, or rainy outside, you will always see Rodrigue riding his bicycle. Once a week, he takes her (yes, it is a her) somewhere for a joyful ride: over the hills, around the bay, to te beach, in national parks, his bicycle has seen a lot. The rest of the time, Rodrigue is cooking, baking, training in the gym, or watching TV with his beloved wife.

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Ross Halvorsen :: rhalvorsen@sileducation.com
World Languages Department Chair
Instructor of Spanish, French & German

Ross Halvorsen is a native of Felton, California and holds a PhD in German Studies from Cornell University. After earning his BA in German Studies from the University of California at Berkeley, Ross taught microeconomics at the University Navarre in Pamplona, Spain until he returned to graduate school for German Studies.

After completing the dissertation "Poetics of Mistrust; Kleist, Büchner, and the Prisoner's Dilemma," Ross taught German language and literature at Connecticut College and Purdue University. With a comparative approach to work in German Studies, he has also done extensive research in Spanish, French, and English literature.

One of Ross' main interests, and a topic on which he has published, is dramatic theory and the theory of tragedy. In addition to Ross' academic pursuits, he also enjoys taking long rides on his bicycle and even longer trips along the coast and into the mountains on his motorcycle. Ross is happy to be back in California and to have the opportunity to work with talented teachers and students.

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Sarah Schwid :: sschwid@sileducation.com
Administrative Coordinator

Biography coming soon.

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Suzan Pham :: spham@sileducation.com
Mathematics Department Chair
Instructor of Mathematics

Suzan is the Math Department Chair at School for Independent Learners. She graduated from UC Irvine with a BS in Mathematics and a minor in Biological Sciences, and from CSU East Bay with an MS in Applied Mathematics, with an emphasis in Dynamical Systems and Mathematical Biology.

She wholeheartedly believes in our school's mantra, "One size does not fit all." Empowered by the freedom to individualize instruction for each student, Suzan creates a supportive environment in which students learn to harness their own abilities. In this environment, Suzan helps each student to become more confident, and to better understand the importance of education. Suzan notes, "I'm proud to be a teacher and a mentor."

Suzan loves the outdoors and is an avid basketball fan. She has a knack for putting things together and fixing whatever is broken, literally and metaphorically.

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Timothy Kay :: timkay@sileducation.com
Instructor of Computer Science

Timothy is from Silicon Valley and teaches computer science at SIL. He has been programming since the age of 12 and received his Bachelor’s in Pure Math from Brown University and his PhD in Computer Science from The California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Timothy is the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Boopsie, a company that creates apps for schools, libraries, real estate, and conference and trade shows. He is also a technology consultant whose clients include Cray Research, IBM Research, Microsoft Research, IMMI Inc., TokTu LLC, and M&A Alliance. In 1997 he received an Academy Award for his work with 3-D computer graphics.

He believes in a hands-on approach to learning and teaching and enjoys seeing students learn how to create technology instead of only consuming it. Outside of teaching and working, Timothy referees soccer and enjoys cooking and travelling.

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Will Juola :: wjuola@sileducation.com
Instructor of Social Studies, French, Latin & English

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Will graduated from St. Norbert College in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a BA in French and a minor in History. He spent a year studying abroad in Lille, France -- learning, traveling, and meeting extraordinary people.

As a peer tutor in college, Will discovered his desire to teach. His passion for teaching spans three disciplines: social studies, world languages, and English literature.

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