Jane Shimizu was born and raised in Los Angeles County. She received her BA in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She taught 3rd and 4th grades for seven years at schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District and Walnut Unified School District until she decided to be a stay at home mom for her three wonderful children. She continued to volunteer teaching in her children’s classes and Sunday school for over eighteen years thanks to her supportive husband. Jane substituted in the Encinitas Unified School District and received her California Teaching of English Learners certification. She has attended the USC Summer GATE Institute with Dr. Sandra Kaplan for nine summers. She begins her tenth year at JCS Mountain Oaks and feels blessed to teach such wonderful scholars. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, snorkeling, yoga, scrapbooking, gardening,  camping, and playing with her sweet puppy.