About the Teacher
If you see a busy red-headed woman moving quickly through the school with a cup of coffee in the morning, it's probably St. Elizabeth of Hungary's Vice-Principal and 8th Grade Homeroom Teacher, Ms. Lisa Bennett. After a night of grading essays or tests, researching or writing her own articles for publication, or putting together events, workshops, or productions, this night owl is on the move getting ready for a new day of discovery and exploration with her students. Whether it be teaching her eighth grade students the joys of English and literature (and yes, language arts can be fun!) or sharing her love of God and the written word, developing conscious citizens, exchanging ideas, and celebrating the diverse world in which we live, her love of creativity, humanity, and inquiry shine through. In a hectic world that seems to demand more and more of people, she also seeks to find the balance for herself and her students between work, play, and prayer.
In addition to holding degrees in English and psychology, she also has a firm grounding in the arts and has professional experience in acting, dance, and production. After performing professionally and teaching the arts for many years, she decided to synthesize all her passions and skills in order to make a difference in the classroom experience and in the lives of young people (remembering how jr. high, for her, was just awful). Her credential work focused on grades 6-12 with additional education in learning strategies for learners of English. These strategies also transfer well in a classroom where students have different learning styles and needs. She has been teaching in the formal classroom since 1996 and has developed and directed student arts and leadership programs for many years as well. In addition, she has a deep interest in linguistic paleontology, comparative mythology, and spiritual systems and has enjoyed providing workshops for students and adults that help deepen their co-creative relationship and walk with God. (Schools attended include CSU, Northridge and UCLA).
For Ms. Bennett, teaching is a vocation, and her approach to her work each day is best reflected by a quote from a poem by Khalil Gibran, "When you work, you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music. ...And what is it to work with love? It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth." When she's not teaching, grading, preparing for classes, writing, presenting workshops, or running with new ideas, you'll find her out in nature, dancing hula, enjoying the company of good friends and family, meeting interesting people, traveling to ancient places, or just curled up at home in her pj's with a good book and a properly brewed cup of tea or coffee.
In addition to holding degrees in English and psychology, she also has a firm grounding in the arts and has professional experience in acting, dance, and production. After performing professionally and teaching the arts for many years, she decided to synthesize all her passions and skills in order to make a difference in the classroom experience and in the lives of young people (remembering how jr. high, for her, was just awful). Her credential work focused on grades 6-12 with additional education in learning strategies for learners of English. These strategies also transfer well in a classroom where students have different learning styles and needs. She has been teaching in the formal classroom since 1996 and has developed and directed student arts and leadership programs for many years as well. In addition, she has a deep interest in linguistic paleontology, comparative mythology, and spiritual systems and has enjoyed providing workshops for students and adults that help deepen their co-creative relationship and walk with God. (Schools attended include CSU, Northridge and UCLA).
For Ms. Bennett, teaching is a vocation, and her approach to her work each day is best reflected by a quote from a poem by Khalil Gibran, "When you work, you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music. ...And what is it to work with love? It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth." When she's not teaching, grading, preparing for classes, writing, presenting workshops, or running with new ideas, you'll find her out in nature, dancing hula, enjoying the company of good friends and family, meeting interesting people, traveling to ancient places, or just curled up at home in her pj's with a good book and a properly brewed cup of tea or coffee.