Patti Littlejohn is the Kinder 4-year-old program teacher at St. Mary School. After 39 years at El Roble Elementary School in Gilroy teaching 3rd grade and kindergarten, she retired from public school teaching and came to St. Mary School in 2006. Mrs. Littlejohn has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with a minor in psychology from San Jose State University and a Lifetime Elementary Teaching Credential. Her professional background also includes a cross-cultural language and academic development certificate from the State of California, Mentor Teacher at Gilroy Unified School District, co-author of a language experience curriculum for kindergarten and 1st grade, student teacher supervisor, and presenter of numerous language arts workshops for kinder and 1st grade teachers. Mrs. Littlejohn is an alumna of St. Mary School and comes from a multi-generational SMS family. Of teaching, she says, “It has been a joy. I am so blessed to be in an environment that wraps itself around me and hugs me every day. So many students’ lives have enriched mine.” Mrs. Littlejohn says she remains young-at-heart by teaching kinder students who keep her on her toes and continually amaze her with their views of the world. She feels a tremendous responsibility to make her students’ learning experiences meaningful, positive and exciting. Her greatest satisfaction has been the “aha” moments when she has taught a subject, and it becomes her students’ knowledge for life. When she is not in school, she enjoys and treasures time with her family as well as gardening and baking apricot pies.
