Hello Rice Canyon Families!

My name is Dominique Hoover and this will be my eighth year teaching at Rice Canyon. I have taught fifth grade for the past seven years here and I am so excited to be moving to Kindergarten and TK for the 2023-2024 school year. I have loved fifth dearly, but it is time for a new adventure. I am ready to return to my roots in Kindergarten. This school year also marks my twelfth official year in the classroom. I have taught fifth grade, fourth grade, and Kindergarten at other schools in the district before getting the opportunity to call Rice Canyon, my forever home. I absolutely LOVE this school and feel lucky to be a raptor. I have had the pleasure of teaching alongside of Mrs. Carney now for FIVE wonderful years. We make each other better educators. Proud of the teaching duo we are together!

I graduated from California State University San Marcos in 2011 with my bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and a minor in Sociology. Then in 2012, I continued on and received my teaching credential from CSUSM. Go Cougars!  In 2016, I graduated from Brandman University with my master's degree in Education with an emphasis in Teaching and Learning. 

I was raised in Lake Elsinore and graduated from Temescal Canyon High School. I am the product of the Lake Elsinore Unified School District and am proud to give back to our wonderful community.  I have been married to my high school sweetheart for nine wonderful years.  My husband is a firefighter/paramedic for Anaheim Fire and Rescue. We have two beautiful daughters. Our oldest is six and our youngest just turned three. My family and I love to travel and go camping in our trailer.  When I am not in my classroom, you can usually find me at the beach.  It is definitely my happy place! We love to go on family adventures and watch our girls experience new things. Starbucks is my weakness. My hubby would like to say its more of an obsession. LOL! I tell him that coffee is a must before a long day of teaching.

My personal teaching philosophy is that I must allow my students to discover and experience things for themselves.  This will allow them to not only become independent thinkers as they grow older, but also so that they can become self-sufficient problem solvers who can lead our world's next generation.  I truly work hard to prepare my scholars for the future.  My hope is that the organizational, personal, social, behavioral, and collaborative skills that I strive to teach them will help them become successful and contributing members of society.  Therefore, my goal as an educator is to merely act as a facilitator and allow my students to take responsibility for their own learning.  As the great John Dewey stated, "Growth is not something done to them; it is something they do."

Looking forward to another wonderful year teaching alongside of Mrs. Carney.  We can't wait to have fun learning with our amazing TK/K scholars!