Heidi Aponte

Hello! I am Teacher Heidi and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself.

I went to a university in the beautiful state of Alaska and received my Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. During college, I had a lot of fun teaching environmental science to students of all ages. After I moved back to California (my home state), I found the perfect job teaching marine biology to middle school students who were attending a week-long camp.

A year after graduation I made the decision to join the United States Coast Guard. I had to endure four difficult months of Officer Training, but I learned a lot about leadership! After training, I was shipped off to Alaska (happy to return) and boarded a ship that cruised the open waters of the Bering Sea. My job involved ship driving, navigation, fisheries law enforcement and managing the communications onboard. Next, I was transferred to San Francisco and I worked in Marine Environmental Response. I basically made sure that people who made a mess in the Bay were held responsible for cleaning it up!

After completing my service in the Coast Guard, I received my teaching credential at San Francisco State University. I taught Kindergarten for a few years and then continued my education with Walden University in order to obtain a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Science. I gained more experience in education by teaching science to middle school and high school students. I have also spent many hours in the classroom as a volunteer since I have 3 beautiful children of my own!

I enjoy teaching to the younger students most and my favorite subject is SCIENCE! I was very lucky since I had opportunities to participate in conservation efforts in Australia, study rainforest ecology in Costa Rica and conduct shark research in the Bahamas. I enjoy sharing what I have learned with my students, but I find more joy in allowing students to ask questions, explore answers and teach me a thing or two about the world around us.

My favorite hobby is running! I am a certified running coach and I enjoy helping others succeed in this great sport. I am dedicated to living a healthy, active lifestyle and I expect my students to maintain a positive attitude, make healthy choices and always find time to play!