Welcome to Taft Middle School. It is my pleasure to be part of an extremely talented staff of educators and support staff. Our mission at Taft is to educate all students and to help them achieve to their highest potential.
Being Principal at Taft Middle School is one of the greatest honors that has ever been bestowed upon me. Attending this school as a student, working at this site as a teacher, and now being honored to lead staff and students at a school I truly love goes beyond my professional dreams.
I was born in San Francisco and raised just south in San Mateo. I attended college at U.C. Davis and after spending my junior year in Madrid, Spain, completed my Bachelor of Arts in Spanish in 1985. After graduation I went to the local community college to be – can you believe it – a travel agent! For a while that was my chosen profession. However, it just wasn’t quite fulfilling.
I moved to San Diego in 1989 to pursue my teaching credential and began teaching in1993 in elementary school in San Diego Unified School District. For the most part I taught third and fourth grades but also taught a Literacy through Technology program to kindergarten through fifth grades for several years.
After teaching for eight years I earned my Master of Arts in School Administration along with my Administrative Credential from the Azusa Pacific University. I taught for a few more years, became a vice principal at the elementary level for the next five years, and have been a vice principal at the middle level for the past four years.
This is the beginning of my fourth year here at Taft (my 19th in SDUSD) and I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to be able to watch the 6thgraders from my first year promote to high school past June.
I am proud to be working with such a committed and caring group of professionals who truly care about children. In order to ensure that your children are safe, happy, and productive, we are implementing new and exciting things this year. You trust us with your child/ren every day, and the children trust us to nurture them and guide them to the next level. This is a responsibility I take very seriously.
We have definitely started the 2011/12 school year on a positive note and plan to continue the trend. I look forward to continued relationships with returning Taft students and parents, as well as fostering new relationships with students from all over the world who have joined us this year.
Please know that I welcome parents and students to contact me with any questions, problems, or concerns. I prefer to solve problems rather than admire them. As a team, we can do anything!
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
(858) 496-8245 Ext. 1103 lryan@sandi.net
