Kirsten Thornton

Professional Biography

I graduated from Azusa Pacific University in 2020 with a Bachelors of Liberal Studies - Elementary Education with a Concentration in Special Education. During my time at APU, I student taught primarily in K-2 general education public school classrooms while also helping in a 3-5 pull out class for special education services. Since graduating, I taught 4th grade at San Jose Christian School. Throughout my years of experience in education and while professional teaching, I worked as a tutor for students 3rd-5th in after-school and summer programs. I am excited to further grow and teach at SJCS!

Personal Biography

I was born and raised in San Jose, and attended K-12 school and church locally with my parents and younger brother. Both my parents are teachers so I have quite literally “grown up in the classroom.” I moved to Azusa to attend Azusa Pacific University and moved back up here in the spring of 2020 to start teaching in the fall. I met my soon-to-be-husband while at college and after long-distance dating and getting engaged, he moved up here where we are currently planning a fall 2023 wedding. When I am not in the classroom, I enjoy working out, reading, and serving on the worship team at my church.

Christian Philosophy of Education

As a Christian educator, it is my main goal for students to love God, love others, and love themselves more by the end of the year. I desire to have my classroom be a safe space where students can learn to see the goodness of God in every area of their lives and the lives around them. As a teacher, I hold students to high expectations not just in academics but as people who encourage each other, grow in the word, and treat each other as Christ has commanded us to (Ephesians 4:32). I have been blessed to see Christian leadership modeled by my parents as teachers. The biggest advice given to me that I carry every day is: “be sure at the end of the day, each and every student is prayed over and reminded of how much they are loved by God.”