What Brought You to AHS? — Like many other AHS faculty members, I was directly guided to the school through a series of spiritual experiences at a pivotal time in my life.
Favorite Student Interaction — My favorite experiences are when I am privileged to feel the Holy Ghost bear witness to me of the Lord’s love for my students and of their future potential. On numerous occasions, when I have been visiting with a student or their parents, the Spirit has testified that the student is loved by the Lord, and that a way will be provided to overcome whatever challenges the student is facing.
Curriculum Highlight — I absolutely love our 8th grade curriculum! Our American History curriculum covers the Constitutional Convention through the present. Wow! So many incredible events and opportunities to see the Lord’s hand in the grand sweep of history, as well as in the lives of individuals who lived through those events. Couple the history with literature selections that are filled with life-changing lessons, and you have a curriculum that prepares these amazing young scholars to be wise leaders.
Why Teaching? — Looking back, I realize that the Lord inspired me to pursue and complete my education because I would need to work and support my family in the future. There were many miracles that allowed me to earn both a B.A. and an M.A. in English from BYU. While I was in graduate school, I had the opportunity to teach several sections of English 115, which helped me discover my love of teaching.
Family — Family is important to me. I am the oldest of six children and am close to all of my siblings and my parents, which is a tremendous blessing, since I am also a single mother of five wonderful sons, and have been greatly blessed by support from extended family! Being a mother is the highlight of my life.
International Experience — When my first two sons were little, we moved to Tokyo, Japan for three and a half years, which allowed us many unique opportunities. My third son was born in Tokyo–what a fascinating experience that was! We lived in a Japanese neighborhood and my two oldest boys attended the local school. We had many wonderful Japanese friends and were able to share the Book of Mormon with them. Living in Asia, we had the chance to travel to many places. I will never forget pushing our stroller loaded with three small boys through Xian, China, on our way to see the famous Teracotta Warriors. People gathered around, wanting to touch my small boys, and one person asked in broken English how much we had been fined by the government for having three children. We also took trips to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.
Education — Bachelor of Arts, English, BYU; Masters of English, BYU.
“I hope to inspire my students to have complete trust in their Heavenly Father’s plan for their lives. I hope that they feel my love for them and my belief in their potential. I love learning, and hope that they feel my passion for making connections between each of our subjects. I also value the students’ insights, and seek to acknowledge their unique contributions to our class. I believe that we are a “community of learners” in our classroom. I want them to feel safe to ask questions, share their opinions, and respectfully listen to the opinions of other class members.”
– Mrs. Yamada
Hobbies
I love books! I have a serious passion for collecting books, particularly antique books. I am sure I inherited this from both sides of my family tree–my father has been collecting books all of his life, and I have a precious collection of books left to me by my maternal grandmother. Just having books around me makes me happy–I think of all the knowledge contained in their pages. Since coming to AHS, I have been finding original copies of several of the pieces of literature we read in 8th grade.
Some of my hobbies include gardening, floral design, interior design, photography, sewing, and family history. I love to travel and have had the chance to visit many wonderful places, especially with family members. In 2017 I enjoyed a wonderful, family history-centered trip with siblings to England, Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Wales, and the Netherlands. From there, I was able to go with my brother to visit Hungary, where he served his mission, and then on to Romania , where I found myself in awe of the beautiful countryside. A couple of months later, a spur-of-the-moment opportunity took me back to Israel where I had spent time on a BYU Study Abroad program when I was young. This time, I was able to go to Israel with my two brothers and my oldest son and his wife–what a blessing mingling with the local people and appreciating the amazing history of that sacred land. When I was eighteen years old, I had the unique opportunity to be part of a Spring Term BYU Study Abroad to Turkey and Greece, where we studied “Travels and Teachings of the Early Apostles.” This opportunity, which followed my time at the BYU Jerusalem Center, cemented my love of the scriptures and of history!