Lillie Pardo’s experience as a mother of two informs her job as teacher of 20 energetic kindergarteners at LFCSA. The founding year of our school marked her first year as a teacher, but she started thinking about a career in education in 2000 when she began volunteering in her daughter’s kindergarten at Franklin Avenue School. The many dedicated, passionate teachers she encountered there were also a strong motivator.
Ms. Pardo was born and raised in Kansas City by Filipino parents, both doctors, who put a premium on learning. She studied journalism and Spanish at the University of Kansas in Lawrence before moving to Los Angeles in 1990. Her varied jobs: writing and editing, human resources, a stint at the Getty Conservation Institute, and a longer one as a stay-at-home mom to Olivia (12) and Mia (9), all taught important skills that she utilizes today. “As a teacher I get to use everything I learned before, my interpersonal skills, writing, communication and language.” She feels her interest in the arts is also “perfect” for our school. “I really value the arts as another way of learning, of accessing the curriculum. It is a form of enrichment that kids can connect to… It is exciting to teach at a school that values it.”
Ms. Pardo got her teaching credentials at Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena, a school that emphasizes human development and early childhood learning. It was a collaborative environment, “similar to this school,” she explains. “Here Ms. Miller and I collaborate on lesson plans, discuss what works and what doesn’t … even across grade levels, there is a lot of communication between the staff. We’re all on the same page with our and the school’s philosophy of education. It is energizing—and a new school needs that. It builds the community, makes it a stronger learning environment where everybody can feel they are welcome.”
“What more could we ask for?” says Maya Ivanir whose daughter, Daniella, was in Ms. Pardo’s class last year. “Kindergarten is all about the ‘first time experience’ and we were lucky to have Ms. Pardo for our kids that very first time. Kindergarten is less about learning things and more about learning to love learning. In her very quiet and graceful way, Ms. Pardo managed to teach both. There was no pressure to achieve, it just happened naturally.”
According to Ms. Pardo, it is important to keep a balanced and healthy perspective on education. “Apart from academics, you want kids who can really think critically and who see themselves as learners… I have high expectations for myself, and if you model that for children they will rise to the challenge.” She believes teachers need to show children that they are “life-long learners, that we’re in this together.” Assistant Principal Nancy Martorelli says, “We are fortunate to have a caring and conscientious teacher like Ms. Pardo. She devotes her time, including a great deal of personal time, to planning lessons and creating a classroom environment that engages each student and provides a nurturing learning community.”
Although Ms. Pardo takes work home, she ensures that there is some down time for herself and her family. Her husband shares her interest in art and drama so they make time for museums and theater. She bakes and often brings goodies to school for staff meetings. She also knits and quilts. Over the summer, she found the time to complete several quilts. Most importantly, she spends time with her daughters. And her experience as a teacher enriches her work as a mother. “What I learn about how kids learn, about human development, I apply to my own kids!” she explains. As her student Daniella puts it, “Ms. Pardo loves kids and she loves teaching kids.”
