Toni Walls
Kindergarten Teacher
TWalls@NeighborhoodChristian.org

Hi, I am delighted to be the Kindergarten teacher at Neighborhood Christian School. After 20 years of teaching in various grade levels and several schools I am truly blessed to be at Neighborhood. Kindergartners are amazing! They say the most wonderful things. I am especially thrilled when we have been touching on a new concept and suddenly the students have one of those special “aha” moments. A Kindergarten quote, “Mrs. Walls, all the letters in my name are in the alphabet!”

My fabulous husband and I have been married since 1984. We have two children; Amara was born in 1992 and Bryce was born in 1997. We also have one addition member to our family - a golden retriever named Chewy!

I grew up in Martinez, California, on a horse ranch. We raised, trained, and sold Arabian horses. I especially enjoy riding horseback. We had chickens, dogs, cats, and pigeons. I attended Walnut Creek Christian Academy, where I accepted the Lord as my Savior in Kindergarten. I then continued my education at Berean Christian High School, where I enjoyed playing basketball on the high school girl’s team. I graduated from Western Oregon State and Western Baptist College with a major in elementary education and a minor in Bible.

My family and I worship at Valley Evangelical Free Church in Vacaville. Our passion is for growth groups because we desire to see believers grow and be encouraged in their spiritual walk.
I love to read books and love to be in God’s beautiful nature. Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies. I love to sing, make crafts, and play the piano.

In kindergarten we learn essential skills, but the students go home and explain to the parents, “We just played and had fun all day!” We use techniques such as song and dance, art, movement, play, role-play, games, cheers, and plain old fun to learn how to read, write, understand math, play and listen to music, get along with each other, experience science, and understand the Bible.

We have many special days, such as Hat Day, during which we create and wear crazy hats in the Mad Hatter Parade. We describe the hats, categorize the hats, and we all dance the Mexican Hat dance. On Opposite Day, we wear opposite colors, sizes, and shapes, as well as play Opposite Simon Says. We all go to the park to picnic and fly kites on Kite Day. One of our very special events is our 100 Day Celebration. We read a poem with 100 words, and we guesstimate which bag has 100 candy hearts and how full a cup will with 100 drops of water? The entire school comes to our Museum of 100 item collections. This year we are also asking the school to join us in collecting 100 pieces of money for the tsunami victims.

This special verse is a prayer I desire for each of my students. Ephesians 3:14-19 says, “For this reason I kneel before the Father ... and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Come visit our classroom to see the exciting learning that takes place!