Hi. My name is Maria Carland. I am passionate about seeing kids learn and I want to be an active facilitator of that learning. At its core teaching and learning are inexplicably intertwined. I believe that conveying meaning so that others can understand is the portal to learning anything.

My professional career and personal passion have steered me towards working with children in various capacities for over ten years. I first started working with students with learning disabilities during my undergrad at CU. I double majored in psychology and international affairs. Though many people raised an eyebrow at my choice of majors, I always looked at both psychology and international affairs as studies of humanity.

What made us develop and learn the way we did? What made someone an effective leader? What motivates individuals and collaborative behaviors? What makes a child resilient in spite of challenging circumstances? These questions and my early experiences working with children propelled me on my path to becoming an educator.

After receiving a Master's degree in elementary education from Regis University, I taught in BVSD for a number of years. Sadly, during my time in the classroom I often saw best practice and pedagogical acumen systematically replaced by standardized assessments, and a constant push for data gathering. Educational coaching has allowed me to optimize and personalize an approach to give each individual the tools they need to thrive not only as a student, but as a human being.

I believe that educators do more than impart content; we help shape kids as individuals and as world citizens. I value the whole child approach and I strive to inspire and teach kids in a way that reaches them on an individual level.