English Language Arts

Daniel Alcantar Guerrero has been an English instructor in San Francisco East Bay high schools, community colleges, and graduate schools since 2005. 

He is currently a Puente English and AP English Literature instructor at MEHS, and has been an adjunct instructor at Merritt College, Chabot College, and UC Berkeley. As a student of philosophy, Dan enjoys reading both fiction and non-fiction, but he particularly loves reading his student’s autobiographical narratives about their lives. These stories represent the basis of each student’s academic success, as writing about ‘the self’ is the first crucial step in genuinely learning to read and write about any other subject. 

Daniel is a proud native ‘Haywardian,’ born and raised around the corner from where many of his former high school students struggle to avoid the consequences of poverty and the indiscretions of youth. These shared experiences help him connect with his students’ lives, which he believes is why he was recognized as Hayward USD’s 2016 Teacher of the Year! 

Daniel completed his BA in Philosophy at California State, Hayward, and Masters in Education from the MUSE Program at UC Berkeley. In addition to teaching, Dan enjoys listening to house and techno music, sustaining a steady diet of caffeine-concentrated beverages, and watching dystopian movies!

  Hi there! I’m Ms. Alcantara or Ms. A for short. I’m MADE IN HAYWARD and graduated from Mt. Eden HS in 2016! I then obtained my Bachelor’s in English at UC Davis, and am currently pursuing my Masters in Education. Teaching has always been my dream, and I’m happy to be doing so in my hometown. 

 Matthew Amaral was born and raised in Hayward, CA and graduated from Mt. Eden High School with the class of 1998. He attended UC Davis where he played for the Men's Soccer Team and Majored in English Literature with an emphasis on Creative Writing. Mr. Amaral received his teaching credential from CSU Hayward, has an MFA in Creative Writing and is currently working on two novels for middle readers and young adults. He has been teaching at Mt. Eden High School for 18 years and currently teaches Puente English, Advanced Placement English Language and Composition 11, and is the advisor for The Lion's Tale newspaper, which was the same newspaper that was at Mt. Eden when he was a student in the 90s. Mr. Amaral's teaching philosophy focuses on high expectations, making content easy to understand while maintaining rigor, using multicultural literature and ethnic lenses to build off of the traditional canon, and stand-up comedy. He loves teaching at his alma mater, is dedicated to the Hayward community and was recently recognized by the city for his work with Mayor Mark Salinas and The Kid's Breakfast Club.

True triumph is implausible lest we dream boldly, and pair action with intention.

Marc Nicolai Roque Ampon has taught in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2015. He grew up in South Hayward, CA to two low-income immigrant parents. Growing up poor in a socio-economically disadvantaged area offered numerous academic, social and personal challenges. These experiences inform Ampon’s primary motivation and practice as a teacher.  He has a deep desire to give back to communities much like the one he grew up in.

Ampon has served in Richmond’s Iron Triangle neighborhood, San Lorenzo, East side San Jose and South Hayward.  He has taught a myriad of courses such as 8-11th grade English, a college prep course and has run a school’s English Language Development program as a teacher-leader.  Each unique learning situation has expanded his approach to culturally competent teaching.  He knows first hand that learning is deepened when the teacher comes in with humility, curiosity and genuine empathy for students and families.

Teaching is Ampon’s second career, as he worked 11 years in retail management to pay his way through college.  It took 13 years for Ampon to earn his Liberal Arts Associate's degree from Ohlone College, his Bachelor’s degree in English from Cal State East Bay and his Master’s degree in Urban Education from Loyola Marymount University.

In addition to teaching, Ampon enjoys spending time with his growing family, watching the Golden State Warriors, dancing and geeking out to video games and comic books.
 

My name is Tiaja Andrews, to my students I am Teacher T. I studied at the University of Oregon and Cal State Eastbay right here in Hayward. This is my second year teaching here at Mt. Eden High School and I’m extremely proud to be a Monarch. I love to watch animes like Jujutsu Kaisen and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and enjoy reading Manga and Manwha. My favorite artists are Victoria Monet, Kehlani, PNB Rock, and New Jeans. I teach 11th-grade African-American Literature and Yearbook, a class open to all grade levels. I’ve always had a love for writing and reading that I hope to share with my students.

brakefieldenglish.com

Originally from the Chicagoland area, Kelsey McGuire Brakefield has been a Monarch since 2019 and a Bay Area Puente Teacher since 2017. She received her undergraduate degree from Western Illinois University in English Education with a minor in vocal music, and her masters from Mills College in English Literature.

Teaching and literacy are two of her greatest loves, with few things giving her as much joy as getting the right book in a student's hands. At Mt. Eden, Kelsey Brakefield teaches Puente and AP Literature.

When she is not teaching, Kelsey can be found at the park with her young family, trying to meet her yearly reading goal or singing with her folk band.

Bianca Corro Murillo has brought her passion for teaching language to Hayward students since 2014. This is the first year she has been able to call herself a Mt. Eden Monarch and couldn’t be more excited to join this community. Her area of concentration is dually focused on supporting the youngest folx in high school as they begin these next pivotal four years of their lives as well as welcoming Newcomers and supporting their development with the English language.  She has spent her entire career focused on building the foundations of literacy at the 9th grade level and within ELD and she continues that work this year within all of her English 9 classes and her Sheltered English 11 course. Ms.Corro’s biggest hope is that students grow to understand that the biggest project of all is the pursuit of understanding self and that what students read and the work they do in class is in service of that goal. 

Bianca grew up in a smallish town in Northern California but held dreams as a teen of moving to the Bay. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in English Education and TESOL from Chico State and thinks very fondly of her time there. She then went on to earn her teaching credential and Masters in Education from UC Berkeley in the Multi-Cultural and Urban Education program. When not in the classroom, she is staying active and exploring the greater outdoors or taking in the art, music, and cultural scene of the Bay and beyond with her son and husband.

 Mr. D is a graduate of UC Berkeley, majoring in Cultural Anthropology. He is interested in examining how social values are reflected and negotiated in literature, particularly in the growing visibility of the genre of horror. What do we fear, and why do we fear it? What shapes the monsters of our nightmares? How can we dissect bodies of literature and the increasingly powerful influence of media to understand the truths of the human condition? All these questions guide his work as a teacher, and are the foundation of his class.

When he isn’t teaching, he is making art, as well as playing video games.

Mr. Matt Denton has been an English Language Arts teacher at Mt. Eden High School since 2010, immediately after receiving his degree and credential from San Francisco State University.  In the years since, Mr. Denton has taught English 9P, English 9P Sheltered, English 10P, English 11P, AP English Language & Composition, CSU ERWC English 12P, English Language Development 3, Creative Writing, Journalism, and Yearbook.  During that time he has also served Mt. Eden as a member of the Instructional Leadership Team, a member of School Site Council, the Chairperson of the English Language Arts Department, and the Chairperson of the Local Curriculum Council.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Mr. Denton is teaching English 10P and AP English Language & Composition.  His instructional style and course design emphasizes student inquiry, analyzing and communicating marginalized perspectives, clarity and purpose in language, counternarrative, student voice, social-emotional learning, and cross-curricular learning.  

Mr. Denton was born outside Seoul, in the Gyeonggi-do Province of South Korea, but has lived his entire life in the State of California.  As an Asian-American resident of Modesto, San Francisco, Castro Valley, and now Oakland, he is passionate about learning experiences which allow the students of Hayward to embrace and explore class, race, history, and culture not only through global lenses, but also ones unique to the Golden State.

Mr. Denton has trained professionally with the American Conservatory Theater of San Francisco, and uses these skills to augment his oratory and presence as a classroom teacher.  He has also volunteered with Global Glimpse, an educational non-profit in the Bay Area which emphasizes student leadership, sustainable development, and international travel.  In June of 2023, Mr. Denton, with several Mt. Eden colleagues, was honored with the "Neighbor's Keeper Award" from Temple Beth Sholom of San Leandro for his "courage and tireless efforts to confront antisemitism and promote justice”.

When off campus, Mr. Denton enjoys the nerdy, gourmet, and artistic sides of life to be found in the Bay Area.

Paul Lai ("Dr. Lai" or "Mr. Lai") has been proud to teach English Language Arts and English Language Development in Hayward USD since 2003. During these decades as an educator, his passions for literature, languages, and social change have been inspired by his high school and middle school students, leading him to complete a PhD in Education at UC Berkeley in 2018. Although Dr. Lai continues to teach part-time at the university, training future literacy teachers like himself, he finds working with young Hayward scholars to be his most fulfilling aspiration. Dr. Lai also teaches AVID and has served as a Partner Teacher/Coach to support his colleagues' professional development. He enjoys reading all sorts of books, diving obsessively deep into varieties of pop culture, nerding out on hoops and footy, engaging in social and political action, and enjoying boba with his family.

 Hello there! My name is Jasmine Maharaj! I am 25 years old; I love my family, I love my dog, I love music, I love Star Wars, and I LOVE writing. I am of two very different cultural backgrounds: I am both Mexican and Indian. Not only do I love learning about my own cultures, but I love learning about all cultures. It has been such a blessing to grow and teach in such a diverse community. I have worked for Mt. Eden for four years, and wish to continue working here for many more years to come. I am a proud Mt. Eden alumni as well, graduate of class of 2017. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in English from California State University East Bay, class of 2021, and I earned my Master’s Degree in Educational Technology in May of 2025 from CSUEB as well. I am so proud to teach in the very community I grew up in, and represent Hayward. I hope to build meaningful connections and find relativity with you all. Teaching is my passion, and I have loved teaching thus far. I look forward to what the future has to offer!

 Kevin Navas has spent his entire career as an educator at Mt. Eden High School making this his twentieth year as a Monarch. Mr. Navas grew up in the neighboring city of San Lorenzo and will always represent and stand up for the East Bay. Every job he has had, from the age of sixteen, has been on Hesperian Boulevard. Mr. Navas believes that Mt. Eden is an extraordinary place to teach because of its diversity. He also treasures the student population because they enter these grounds willing to strive and do well for themselves and their families in the face of adversity. 

Mr. Navas is a proud graduate of Chabot College and Cal State East Bay. He has a BA in English with an emphasis in New Voices in American Literature. He received his teaching credential in 2005 from Cal State East Bay through a certificated program created by Dave and Marilyn Forrest from James Logan High School. This program was the first to be certificated by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards at the high school. It requires teachers to go through a strenuous portfolio and assessment process. He is proud to have been taught by such great models, and his pedagogy is still rooted in their training.   

Mr. Navas started at Mt. Eden at the age of 25 and has since been teaching students the beauty of reading literature, constructing thoughts into clear writing with meaning, and influencing thousands of Hayward adolescents to pursue post-secondary education. 

Mr. Navas has taught all grade levels of English. He has also taught Expository Reading and Writing, English Honors 11, Strategic English, AVID, and piloted the AP Language and Composition course at Mt. Eden.  This spectrum of courses taught over his tenure specifically highlights the vast experience Mr. Navas has in communicating with empathy and successfully working with all student populations.

Mr. Navas loves to watch horror films, landscape his yards, go to Disneyland with his family, and work on self-care.  

Born in Queens, New York, raised in Santa Barbara, Tracy Phillips fell in love with Northern California as a child. After completing her BFA at UC Santa Cruz, she moved to San Francisco, and has been an English instructor in the Bay Area since 1993. She has taught at both middle and high school levels since 1993, when she received her Single & Multiple Subjects teaching credentials, and in 1995, her Masters Degree in Secondary Education from SF State University. 

She realized her path to teaching while at UC Santa Cruz, volunteering to tutor struggling young readers at the SC Waldorf school whose holistic philosophy and arts-integrated curriculum inspired her, as an English and Art teacher in Half Moon Bay.  9 years later, she was Mt. Eden High School’s first EL Teacher Specialist, working with the Office of Civil Rights and HUSD in overseeing nearly 600 second language learners’ progress. Missing the classroom and teaching, she obtained her English credential, then joined the ELA Department in 2007.

In 2009 she piloted the Cal State University-designed program, Expository Reading & Writing, to prepare students for college rigor. In addition, in 2013 Ms. Phillips started Eden Theatre Arts ( E.T.A.). Training at American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Waterfront Conservatory, and FoolsFURY, Ms. Phillips forged professional networks now connected to HUSD. At certain times of the day, you may hear her Theater class practicing scenes or doing vocal warm ups.  

Being part of both the Visual & Performing Arts Department ( VAPA ) and English Language Arts relates to Ms. Phillips’ background as a reader, writer, and artist.  Her classroom is one of her happiest places, filled with the vibrancy of students. 

An avid reader since childhood, raised by two avid readers and published writers, when she isn’t reading, she loves studying languages; fluent in French and Italian, and able to speak and read  Spanish and Portuguese fairly well. She is also an artist combining photography and painting, an avid gardener and amateur chef. She also loves journaling, hiking in the East Bay parks, listening and dancing to Brazilian music, playing with her adorable nieces, and spending quality time at home with her husband (Mt. Eden Japanese teacher, “Sensei”, Mr. Seifert) and their energetic doodle, Daphne.