Meet the Teachers
Mrs. Beno
Mrs. Beno has always wanted to be a teacher. Even as a child she played school with neighborhood friends because she loved learning, helping and teaching. She has been in education since 2005. Before coming to VUSD she taught 2nd, 4th, and was a reading intervention teacher. She believes that CHSA is one of the best schools because you are able to have personal relationships with not only the students but their families. With her free time, she enjoys camping with her two boys and husband.
Mrs. McFarlane
Mrs. McFarlane has been an educator since 2008. She has worked at Linwood, Manuel Hernandez, Highland, and at a school in LA. She has been working here at CHSA since 2018 as our 6th-8th grade academic and tutoring teacher. Her favorite part of being a teacher is seeing the “light bulb” go on for students and watching them achieve what they didn’t think was possible for them. Outside of school she lives a very active life and loves to go on trips with her family which includes her three favorite people, her two sons and husband.
Mrs. Ojeda
Mrs. Ojeda was born and raised in Clovis, CA. She has been working with children in some capacity for many years. She first started as a substitute teacher in 2002 after graduating from Fresno State, then worked as a Site Coordinator for 4-H afterschool programs in Hawaii and Delaware until 2010. She also worked for a program called Operation Military Kids in Delaware where she took students on field trips to New York and Washington D.C. In 2011 she completed her Master's Degree in Elementary Education and taught 5th grade for Fresno Unified. She moved to Visalia and started working for VUSD in 2017. She gardens, hikes, crochets, and practices yoga in her free time. Working at CHSA has been a dream. She has never loved a job more!
Ms. Pena
Ms. Pena was born and raised in Visalia, attending VUSD from K-12th grade. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher. After graduating from Long Beach State with her Multiple Subject Credential, she was hired at Pinkham Elementary in 2013. She spent her time there as a 5th and 6th grade teacher while earning her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. In 2021, she transferred to CHSA and has loved every moment of it! She enjoys the connections that are made within CHSA between families, students and staff. When she is not teaching academic and art classes, you can find her spending time with her family and friends, baking, reading, and at Target.
Mrs. Ramirez
Lynette Ramirez is a third-generation farmer’s daughter who has lots of roots in the valley. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics Education and Single Subject Credential from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She then went on to obtain her Multiple Subject Credential in order to teach elementary children, which had become a growing passion. She has been teaching for a total of 16 years. Her past experiences include teaching 3rd grade at a private school in Strathmore, High School Home Economics in Woodlake, and a 5th grade bilingual class in Cutler. Once she started her own family, she took a 10-year break from teaching to give them her full instruction. When her children were all of school age, she reentered the teaching profession here at CHSA. She started teaching part time at CHSA in 2011. Working part-time at CHSA has provided the perfect balance in fulfilling her love for teaching and caring for her busy family. Her experiences as a mother of three give her a unique understanding of the demands that home school families face on a daily basis. When she can find a free moment, she enjoys activities such as crocheting, gardening, and dates with her husband.
Mrs. Renteria
Mrs. Renteria was excited to join CHSA’s team in 2019 as Education Specialist. She has served students and families throughout Visalia Unified and feels fortunate to call Charter Home School Academy her new home. Prior to becoming an Education Specialist, Mrs. Renteria was a Speech Specialist in Los Angeles, specializing in early intervention. She also spent time teaching in Tokyo, Japan. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, cooking and taking pictures.
Mr. Saenz
Mr. Saenz was born in Tulare and raised in Tipton, attending Tipton Elementary from K-8th grade and Tulare Union High School from 9th – 12th grade. His original passion was in business, specifically accounting, but there was a change in his desire and he opted to go into teaching instead. After graduating from California State University, Fresno with his Multiple Subject Credential, he was hired at Houston Elementary in 1993. He spent his time there as a 4th – 6th teacher while earning his Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He pursued an administration credential and was an assistant principal and principal in Lindsay Unified for 8 years. In 2010, he transferred back to VUSD to Goshen Elementary School as an Education Specialist. In 2020, he transferred to CHSA, as an Education Specialist, and has loved every moment of it! He enjoys the connections that are made with the CHSA families, students and staff. When he is not teaching, you can find him spending time with his friends playing Mah Jongg, camping with family and friends, and taking road trips on weekends.
Mrs. Slattery
Mrs. Slattery joined CHSA in the 2019-2020 school year after teaching 10+ years in public K-3 classrooms throughout the Central Valley. She also had the opportunity to be a PBIS coach in WA. She is very excited to be at CHSA because before she was a public school teacher she was home schooled herself her entire childhood (K-12th grade). She feels that because of both of these experiences she has a unique understanding of both worlds: public education and homeschooling. When she is not teaching, Mrs. Slattery loves to spend time with her husband and her little girl.
Mrs. Vega
Mrs. Vega has been an educator since 1999. She has taught in a traditional school setting, been a reading specialist, and has been at CHSA since 2014. She decided to start working for CHSA because she became acquainted with a few parents and teachers from our school and she loved the work that was being done here. She knew that she wanted to be a part of this special community. Outside of her school day she spends most of her time with her hilarious family. They keep her laughing day and night.
Mrs. Watson
Growing up, Becky Watson loved learning, working with kids, encouraging others, and summer vacations so teaching was a natural career choice. She earned her AA degree from College of the Sequoias, BA & teaching credential from Fresno Pacific College, and MA & reading specialist credential from Fresno Pacific University. Her teaching career began in Earlimart in 1994 as a classroom teacher then led her to Farmersville as a classroom teacher and later a literacy coach. She served as a master teacher for several universities while in the classroom. Mrs. Watson also worked for Fresno Pacific University as a mentor for student teachers. In 2011, CHSA became her new home; she loves being able to build relationships and support the whole family in their educational journey. When she’s not teaching you’ll find her reading, wandering the aisles of Hobby Lobby, organizing events for church & family, or enjoying traveling with her family.