Gerardo Arroyo

Tanya Mishler

The Mary McCaslin song, “The Ballad of Weaverville,” is about the hometown of Ms. Mishler, who grew up in that California town along with her five younger siblings.  Before she was a teacher, Ms. Mishler was a journalist, having written for “The Daily Nexus,” “The Aspen Times,” and “The Trinity Journal.”  

Ms. Mishler, after receiving her Bachelor’s in English from UCSB, lived in Spain and then worked as a ski instructor in Colorado before deciding to become a teacher.  

One of the aspects of working at IV Ms. Mishler enjoys most is how the school community works to support and help one another. 

Haley Soderman

Ms. Soderman, like Olympic table tennis player Lily Zhang, was born in Redwood City, though she was raised right here in Goleta.  As a child, Ms. Soderman loved school, especially reading and math.  After school, she could be found playing softball or on the stage.

After high school, Ms. Soderman attended UCSB, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology.  After a few years in other careers (including as an EMT), Ms. Soderman found her true passion in education.  She’s grateful for the incredible dedication of colleagues and the family-like atmosphere encompassing all who work at IV School.

Ms. Soderman enjoys time with family, as well as a range of activities from riding her motorcycle to gardening to sewing to reading.

Rachel Tedesco

Rachel Tedesco grew up in Ojai, California. She grew up walking a block to her neighborhood school with her older brother. Growing up in Ojai gave Ms. Tedesco the understanding of the close knit community and a love for nature.

While Ojai is beautiful, Ms. Tedesco wanted to experience a city for college and went to San Francisco State University for her undergraduate degree. She graduated three years later with her B.A. in Liberal Studies. She looks back fondly on her classes where she had to gather pertinent information to engage and insight fictional students by writing lesson plans. Ms. Tedesco enjoyed the architecture of the city, but ultimately the warm Ojai weather brought her back south after graduation. 

The strong community of Isla Vista Elementary is one of the many reasons Ms. Tedesco has been teaching here for over ten years. The teachers always put the children first and the community embraces the learning while supporting the staff.  

Ms. Tedesco keeps herself busy outside the classroom by hiking and spending time at the beach with her family. She enjoys being outside where the family can be “adventurers” exploring Santa Barbara’s nature.