Dani O'Grady
Daniele (Dani) O'Grady is a fourth-grade teacher at Meridian. She has a degree in Education from Brazil and a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies from San Francisco State University. Daniele is certified to teach kindergarten through sixth grade and ESL (English as a Second Language), and has completed category one IB-PYP training.
With over ten years of teaching experience in both Brazil and the United States, Daniele has worked with students of all ages and backgrounds. Her experience includes teaching preschool and second grade in an underprivileged district in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She also served as a first-grade teacher for four years in Palo Alto, California. Additionally, Daniele has expertise in designing and instructing customized curricula for a Title I school's summer program in San Jose, California catering to 4th and 5th graders with diverse learning styles over two years.
Beyond her teaching roles, Daniele successfully operated her own educational business named Projeto ALMA, an all-immersion Portuguese program that fosters Portuguese as a heritage language through art, literature, music, and hands-on activities.
Daniele's teaching philosophy prioritizes fostering resilience in students to face academic and social challenges. She is committed to creating a safe learning environment where children can be agency of their learning, freely express their ideas, feelings, take risks, make choices, and grow into strong, thoughtful individuals.
