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What if there was a middle school where students were asked to care about how their mind works? Where students were asked to wonder out loud. Imagine a place where kids are excited to learn. What if this place allowed students to struggle and helped them view perseverance through struggle as an opportunity for growth?

Alex Rosas

b_347_522_16777215_00_images_bioimages_Rosas-Alex-StudentID-01370.jpgSocial Science Teacher

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Alex comes to IVA from a non-profit background where she worked to provide housing for homeless veterans and families with Century Housing. Through this experience, she was inspired to follow her passion for teaching in an effort to provide a safe, supportive space for youth. Alex was born and raised overseas and speaks Romanian and Spanish. She enjoys traveling, dancing, taking care of her Shiba Inu puppy, Leo and spending time with her family, friends and husband, Gustavo.

Alex holds a Single Subject Credential in Social Science from CSULB, as well as BA’s in International Studies and Spanish from CSULB. Before IVA, Mrs. Rosas student-taught at Hughes Middle School in Long Beach and has been teaching dance for 13 years.

“I am so impressed with IVA’s commitment to deep thinking and developing lifelong learners and am so excited to be a part of this community. In a world where students are inundated with a variety of perspectives and media, social science and intellectual virtues play a vital role in teaching students how to sort through information and develop their own thinking. I am committed to being a lifelong learner and I want to encourage curiosity and autonomy in my classroom to help students take initiative in their own learning. I hope to empower students to see themselves as agents of change in their communities, enable them to use intellectual virtues to think deeply about the kind of world they want to see and tenaciously enact change.” 

Linh Phan

b_351_438_16777215_00_images_bioimages_Phan-Linh.jpgScience Teacher


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Many years ago, when Linh was an undergraduate student with little idea of what to do after college, he saw a flier that read “Volunteer at local schools! Free Pizza!” Although he originally only went for the pizza, the meeting redirected Linh towards a meaningful path of teaching. At UC San Diego, he went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and a masters degree in science education. He has years of experience from working in K-12 schools in San Diego, LA County, Orange County, and in places as far away as Beijing, China. His favorite part of the job is helping students grow and develop into the people they are capable of becoming. Outside of school hours, you can probably find Linh playing basketball, making music, or walking somewhere out in nature.

"I am grateful to work at IVA, a learning environment that promotes a love for learning and self-actualization. Furthermore, I believe that IVA advocates the skills, habits, and virtues that are needed to consciously participate in the beautiful, but complicated world that we live in today."

Gaby Schmidt

b_350_438_16777215_00_images_bioimages_gabyschmidt.jpgMathematics Teacher

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Gaby taught math at Roosevelt Middle School in Glendale for 12 years before taking a long break from teaching to raise 3 kids with her husband, Andre.  She taught all levels of middle school math and coordinated her school's AVID program. She obtained a Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics/Applied Science from UCLA, and also has her teaching credential and Master of Education from UCLA. 

"I love IVA's focus on deep thinking.  Our math curriculum is so rich in problem solving, deep conceptual understanding, and mathematical communication, while still providing plenty of practice of essential math skills. I have been so impressed with the deep commitment to working together as a group of educators to do what is best for the students. I'm so excited to be a part of this team!"

Ian McCurry

b_351_438_16777215_00_images_bioimages_ianmccurry.jpgLiterature and Composition Teacher

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Ian McCurry holds a master's in teaching from Azusa Pacific University. Prior to IVA, Mr. McCurry taught 2nd and 3rd grade at a private school in Downey, and 9th- and 10th-grade English/language arts at a Los Angeles charter school. Mr. McCurry has clear multiple subject and clear single subject English credentials. In 2013, McCurry presented on “Teaching for Intellectual Virtues in the English Classroom” at a summer conference at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.

"I was drawn to the mission of Intellectual Virtues Academy before the school was even properly formed. In a pedagogy seminar with 15 other educators at Loyola Marymount University, hosted by Dr. Jason Baehr and Dr. Steve Porter, I caught the vision that education really could be about more than memorization, speed, and high test scores. I was reminded that learning to think well is part of learning how to live well and be a healthy, thriving human being. The qualities of good thinking (curiosity, open-mindedness, humility, courage) cause human flourishing. Teachers, classrooms, and schools can be places that encourage students toward this type of thinking. Almost as soon as I found out there was going to be a school focused on intellectual virtues I was eager to be a part of it in any way possible."

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