Stoney Vintson
Computer Teacher
Stoney Vintson currently provides data analysis services and corporate training. He was recently a teaching assistant at General Assembly in their first immersive Data Science bootcamp in San Francisco. He received a degree in electrical engineering from Portland State University in Oregon and has worked as a hardware engineer at companies such as IBM, Intel, and Microsoft. Stoney also has experience in computer vision and natural language processing. He worked with robotic systems at Gigapan and 3D model reconstruction and facial feature recognition at Trnio.
Stoney is enthusiastic about technology and opening your children’s eyes to the fascinating world of software and hardware. In addition to software and hardware, he is capable of integrating math and science into his lessons. Stoney also has extensively studied human biology at university and can incorporate material from anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology in addition to physics and math.
Ayako Harishima
Art Teacher – Aya Fine Arts
Hello, My name is Aya. I have been teaching Art at various schools throughout the Bay Area. I enjoy teaching Art to students of all ages and diverse cultural backgrounds in a non-competitive environment where they can relax and concentrate on Art. I truly believe that every student is unique and talented, and I strive to bring out the best in each of my students. While I encourage students to explore their own creativity in Art, I also want them to know the importance of learning the basics which will eventually help them explore in various art practices. Rather than focusing on fun-based art making, I try to incorporate Art education into my class so that students will grow to appreciate and experience the joy of understanding Art. In each class, I start with the basics and let the students utilize the knowledge and techniques into their own art. At Green Grass Learning Center, students will learn various aspects of two dimensional art, such as basic drawing, traditional painting, color theory, abstract, landscape, still-life and design.
I have Fine Arts degrees from L’Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze (The Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, Italy) and San Francisco State University. Besides drawing and painting, I do ceramics, printmaking and sculpture. I have participated in numerous exhibits in Italy, and continue to work on my own Art and to exhibit at various venues in the Bay Area.
It is such a luxury to have Art in my life, and I want my students to experience the same in their lives.
Thomas Trudgeon
English Teacher
Hi, I’m Thomas! I am a graduate of U.C San Diego where I majored in Literature and Music. I have a great passion for the language arts and teaching. I have taught for U.C San Diego as well as various tutoring agencies in the Los Angeles area. My areas of expertise include Latin, poetic, fiction, grammar, animal physiology and behavior, art theory and aesthetics, and music history from baroque to contemporary. I have won numerous academic awards and my work has been published in various literary journals and arts magazines. I enjoy collecting rare books, writing, travelling, going to museums and making music!
I absolutely love working with kids. My philosophy is to keep kids motivated to learn through positive reinforcement, enthusiasm and respect. I often times find that when you offer a passionate and positive attitude to kids, you get it right back! After a short time at Green Grass Learning Center, you should expect your child to have dramatically increased their vocabulary and grammar skills as well as their general writing ability.
Anna Huang
Math Teacher
Hi! My name is Anna. I recently graduated from U.C San Diego with a B.S. in Management Science, Economics. I grew up in Alameda and attended Haight Elementary School, Wood Middle School, and Alameda High School. I have always excelled in math and I enjoy helping others reach their true potential.
I have extensive experience working with children. I have volunteered at Lum Elementary School, Boys Scouts of Alameda, and Girls Inc. of the Island City where I started as Activity Assistant and later became a FacilitateHER Group Leader. In addition, I have worked as an independent math tutor, assisting middle school and high school students with their homework, preparing for exams, and providing extra materials for practice. Watching their young minds at work and being able to contribute to their intellectual growth is truly a rewarding experience. I am confident in my ability to provide the guidance and support needed for the children at Green Grass Learning Center to be successful in school.
Knowledge is of the essence.
Ivone Gutierrez
Kindergarten Teacher
My name is Ivone Gutierrez, I’am a junior at San Francisco State University majoring in Psychology. I have been working with children for the last four years and keep coming back to it because I enjoy it so much. I have worked with several non-profit programs around the bay area, with children in K-5th grade. If there is one thing I have learned these past fours years is that education is key. I enjoy working with those that will eventually be the working leaders of the world.