About me

Aloha! My name is Yoko and Honolulu is my home. I recently moved to Brooklyn this summer. At the University of Hawaii, I studied French as well as taking Japanese and linguistics courses. I fell in love with the languages and fencing in high school, fencing foil competitively. I hail from a family of two, growing up with much younger cousins who I have also supervised.

Prior to moving, I was a substitute teacher in Honolulu private schools, from ages 3 months to 12th grade. With younger children, I primarily worked in infant and toddler classrooms. Duties included careful noting of activities and schedules (bottle/feeding, naps, diaper changes), reading, soothing children for nap, assisted teachers with planned activities, preparing infants and toddlers on “baby buggy” for outside time, and cleaning. Infant-specific duties included feeding, giving bottles to infants, tummy time, supervising play on the floor as they engage with appropriate toys, putting them in their cribs for nap, and ensuring all areas are kept clean. For older classrooms, duties were: conducting classes for absent teachers according to lesson plans, managing assignments, and assisting students with academic work. Here in New York, I babysit a 2-year-old girl when needed. Duties include general supervision, playtime (dancing included), art, diaper changing, reading, and nap time. I have also been a lead teacher of a young toddler classroom, 14 children from ages ~11 mos to 2 years. I planned age-appropriate play, art, and literacy activities, reported children's activities to parents throughout the day (meals, nap time, diaper changes, developmental milestones, etc), and sanitized the classroom. I practiced baby sign language in the classroom. I believe this is vital for them to express their wants and needs, honing communication skills! I am more than happy to share baby sign with you.

I always bring a cheerful attitude. Along with providing a warm and safe environment, I think it is so important for the children under my care to be engrossed in stimulating activities in support of their growth--from reading books, exploring outside, through crafts, building, and general playtime.