Theresa Taliaferro

Theresa Taliaferro serves as a substitute teacher in Sacramento area schools, instructing students from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade. She passed the CBEST in 2001 and began teaching shortly thereafter in the Bay Area, including with the Unified School District and the independent Rainbow Bridge school. After periods working in television and as an administrator in higher education in the Central Valley, she returned to substitute teaching in the Sacramento area around 2020 during the COVID period. Taliaferro earned her PhD in education from 2021 to 2024, having initially started in business before transferring fields, and she has published works available online. Her doctoral research centered on multiculturalism, anti-harassment, ethics, classroom inclusion, and LGBTQIA topics, which she applies in developing curriculum for her students. Drawing on her earlier experiences in musical theater, including traveling with professional companies and a Broadway tour, she incorporates theatrical techniques into lessons on math and English language arts to engage young learners and help them relate concepts to familiar ideas.