Maria Thibeault is excited to support HTeNC’s developing readers and emergent multilingual scholars! She is entering her 18th year in education, and her 8th year with the High Tech North County community. Prior to joining High Tech, she has served as either a classroom teacher, reading specialist, or instructional coach in public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, North Carolina, and New Mexico. In a pursuit to improve student outcomes, Maria returned to graduate school to study Orton Gillingham methodology for profoundly dyslexic individuals. As a result, she is now a Certified Academic Language Therapist in addition to a Reading & Literacy Leadership Specialist. Maria believes that literacy is a tool for liberation and she strives to provide a learning environment that honors her scholars’ neurodiversity, humanity, culture and gifts. Her students and their families become very special individuals in her life and it is an honor to co-create their journey in learning to read.

Maria has an irrational fear of spiders of any size, a notably poor sense of direction despite a love for traveling, and pesky allergies of apple & pumpkin which significantly impact autumnal festivities. She loves adventuring all over San Diego with her young son, and she strives to live each day with intention and community. Her favorite quote was seen in an athletic store bathroom stall: “May that which matters the most never give way to that which matters the least.”

Have a wonderful year!!