Cottonwood Canyon Elementary School

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ABOUT MR. BRANSTETTER

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Although the name Branstetter is of German origin, my family is from Ecuador - specifically the cities of Latacunga and Quito. All my relatives are Ecuadorian. I am (50) and I have two awesome younger sisters, Jacqueline (49) - who lives in Ecuador and Susan (48). I am married to an awesome wife and mother, Donna (49). We have two amazing boys, Jacob (21) and Trevor (17) whom I love very much.
I was born in Inglewood, California on May 8, 1968. My family lived in Westchester, CA until I was 8 years old. We then moved to Fountain Valley in Orange County.
 
I graduated from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. At Mater Dei, I lettered in soccer where I played all four years.
 
I graduated from CSU Fullerton with a major in History. While attending CSUF, I lived in the dorms where I met my wonderful wife to be.
 
My final year of college was completed abroad at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan. When I came back from Japan, I became a private investigator until I finished earning my teacher credential - also completed at CSUF.
 
In 1993, I was hired by the Lake Elsinore Unified School District to begin my teaching career at Machado Elementary School where I taught for two years.
 
In 1995, the sixth grade, which was still part of the elementary school, moved up to the middle school. I took a bold step and moved up with the sixth grade. It was at Elsinore Middle School that I taught Math and Science for seven years. I was definitely a big kid at EMS. I used to play basketball with the eighth graders before school, during recess break and during lunch. This is how I got to know most of the other kids at the school. I also organized an annual paintball gathering for all my students up in Corona. That was some of the most memorable times.

In 1997, I graduated with a 4.0 G.P.A. from Azusa Pacific University with a Master's Degree in Educational Administration.
 
I eventually moved back down to elementary school and began teaching at Cottonwood Canyon Elementary School when it first opened up in 2002.  I taught fifth grade for one year and then moved down to third grade.  While teaching third grade, I had the opportunity to assist in the kindergarten classes.  I was amazed how well-behaved the kids were and the amount of knowledge the children gained throughout their first year at CCE. 
 
In 2004, I decided to make the move to kindergarten and be a part of this amazing social and educational development.
 
It has been my privilege to have been teaching kindergarten ever since. I absolutely love it. I have found my niche.
 
Please visit our classroom website at Kinderroom.com