Damaris Saenz
For the past 16 years Damaris Saenz has served as an educator in middle and upper school English programs. Apart from her role as a classroom teacher she has served in various leadership capacities such as middle school DEI coordinator, and international educational consultant where she leveraged a passion for curriculum to create professional development seminars on collaborative learning, ESL best practices, strategies for new teachers, new approaches to assessment, and positive behavioral intervention strategies. Damaris has also served as an adjunct faculty at La Sierra University where she has taught courses in both the Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and Masters in Teaching program. She currently serves as the chair of the Middle School English department at Harvard-Westlake.
Current Workshops
Building Blocks: Community, Coaching, & Strategies for Classroom Educators
Building Blocks strengthens participants' fundamental teaching skills and emphasizes inclusive practices for unit design, equitable classroom management, navigating school culture, deepening cultural competencies, and engaging confidently as a teacher leader. Participants will build community with each other, work with diverse educational leaders from the CATDC community, and have the opportunity to engage in two individual, 30-minute coaching sessions over the course of the program.
Past Workshops
Department Chairs Institute
The Department Chairs Institute will guide participants in exploring the multilayered challenges of this unique position and in developing the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to become effective department leaders.