Ms. Charissa Ginn

Ms. Ginn had her first teaching job at the age of 6, assuming the role of instructing her 2-year-old brother (and numerous stuffed animals) songs about the American flag and how to use the old Britannica Encyclopedia set in the living room. Her innate love for young people continued as she completed her undergraduate studies at UC San Diego, where she majored in Human Development and minored in Education Studies. A summer program in Shanghai, China, provided the opportunity to teach both university students and migrant children English, which resulted in pursuing a TOEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate at UCSD. After finishing her undergraduate degrees, Ms. Ginn received her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and Masters in Education at her alma mater, UCSD.

Desiring to grow in her knowledge and understanding of the world, Ms. Ginn moved back to Shanghai for 3 years to teach at SMIC Private School (中芯学校), a Chinese private school with an English pathway for students desiring to pursue their potential educational studies in the U.S. During this time, Ms. Ginn had the opportunity to develop curriculum with other international teachers, learn and practice Mandarin, and travel to many of the neighboring countries. Upon her return back to the States, her cultural lenses were widen and there her passion for young children lead her to teaching at a charter school in East Oakland for another 4 years, developing a socio-emotional learning curriculum, using trauma informed restorative teaching practices, and utilizing data-driven instruction in the classroom on a daily basis.

Currently, Ms. Ginn is teaching in one of our local elementary schools focused on helping students strive for academic success while implementing curriculum to help students work on thriving emotionally and socially. She firmly believes that teaching is the opportunity to instill life-long learning in students’ lives. Furthermore, she believes that literacy is essential and hopes that every single student she interacts with leaves her classroom more in love with reading and writing.

Ms. Ginn is thrilled to be at Mill Creek Academy, where she is surrounded by passionate educators who want to put students first, and are committed to motivating students to love learning. When she’s not in the classroom, you can find Ms. Ginn looking for the best hiking spots, trying out new recipes with her Instant Pot, actively serving at her church, or taking advantage of school breaks to travel the world.