Mrs. Monica Itamura To All Instructors
Hello Legacy Families!
My name is Monica Itamura and I am so excited to partner with you in your homeschool journey. I am looking forward to offering courses in English, Literature, History, Government, Debate and Basketball. A little bit about me…
Growing up I was a reader. Big time. At family events, myself and my twin sister would be in a comfy chair somewhere reading. I would hide books in the bathroom and sneak away during chores to read until I heard voices in the house start to wonder where I was. I LOVE reading! My husband once said that he preferred an actual sunset to a description of one in a book. I explained to him that for me a well written passage or captivating story line in my favorite books WAS the sunset! My never ending pursuit will be to find ways to pass on that love of reading to my students.
When I went to college at University of California, Davis, I was accepted as pre-med in Physiology. With my love of basketball and sports, I thought I wanted to be a physical therapist. I quickly realized after a couple quarters that I didn’t love calculus, chemistry and all the requirements for physiology as a major enough to continue.
It took a year or so of exploring different courses to discover that I really enjoyed history, specifically 1910-present US History. I took a very diverse selection of classes and ended up with a BA in US History 1910-present with a secondary emphasis of European History for the same time period and a minor in African and African American Studies. Some of my favorite classes were in History, Sociology, Political Science and Law.
I also have a very long love and history with the sport of basketball. I love basketball! It was my favorite sport. I made the 7th grade team as a 6th grader with a broken arm. I made the varsity team as a sophomore. I was a referee for a number of years and I coached basketball for over 15 years. I’ve coached rec leagues, AAU teams and high school teams - from 3rd/4th grade teams to high school. For the last 13 years since my son was born, I’ve been on a break from coaching travel AAU and high school teams and am so excited to get back into the sport here at Legacy!
I am married to my husband Matt, have two step daughters (Ann Marie & Claire), one son (Nikko), a black lab (Hunter), a Siberian cat (Fluffy) and some fish. I was born in Southern California, lived in the Santa Barbara area until age 5, moved to Montana for a couple years until 2nd grade and then ended up with truly growing up in the Apple Hill/Placerville area between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. I graduated from University of California, Davis. Worked for over 15 years in corporate America for companies like Oracle, Gap Inc and SunGard. Had my son when we lived in Chico, CA. Started a small business when my son was under 1 year old. I ran my seasonal kid’s consignment sale, Sweet Repeats, in Chico for 10 years until the back to back blows of the Paradise Camp Fire (100’s of my families lost their homes and left the area) and then Covid became too much to overcome. I ran that business from Chico, then during a move to Arkansas for 2 years and finally from San Diego - traveling every six months to go run the big event. My husband’s job in sales has moved us around the country, finally planting us in San Diego County since 2015 - living out in the San Pasqual Valley near the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
One of my passions has always been working with and hanging out with kids. Between being an art docent and regular volunteer at my son’s former public school and coaching various teams, it always comes back to the kids. Our older ones, especially, have a lot to say, are observing the world around them and have a lot of opinions. I love building connections with them as they grow into being more active participants in society and having their voices heard.
I am filled with gratitude that God has led me to this amazing role as a partner with you in teaching your kids!
Current Classes
Entrepreneurship - S24 M4 – (closed)
Literature 4-6 - S24 M2 – (closed)
Tech Tools - S24 M3 – (closed)
United States History (1865-present) - S24 M5 – (closed)
Basketball Skill Development - S24 T5 – (closed)
Critical Conversations - Critical Analysis & Thinking of Hot Topics - S24 T4 – (closed)
High School English S24 T2/TH2 – (closed)
Junior High Literature - S24 T1 – (closed)
Literature 4-6 - S24 T3 – (closed)
Entrepreneurship - S24 TH3 – (closed)
Government: State and Local - S24 TH5 – (closed)
United States History (1865-present) - S24 TH4 – (closed)
ASB - F24 M5 – (open)
Entrepreneurship - F24 M3 – (open)
HS World History - F24 M4 – (open)
Literature 4-6 - F24 M2 – (open)
Apprenticeship F24 - T5 – (open)
High School Literature - F24 T4 – (open)
Junior High Literature - F24 T2 – (open)
Literature 4-6 - F24 T3 – (open)
ASB - F24 TH4 – (open)
Basketball Skill Development - F24 TH5 – (open)
Bible Journaling - F24 TH1 – (open)
Entrepreneurship - F24 TH3 – (open)
HS World History - F24 TH2 – (open)