Austin EcoSchoolinspired learning

I joined the EcoSchool community in 2010, after having graduated from the UTeach program with a BA in Mathematics. This year I am excited to be teaching Math and Science, as well as serving as a Village Commissioner. Teaching at EcoSchool means that I am able to grow and learn in the same supportive environment we offer our students—without pressure, with healthy communication and integrity intact.

I was fortunate to spend much of my childhood in Arkansas where I became enthralled with the natural world. Through mothering, gardening, and teaching in Austin, I have found that sharing my love of nature and its patterns with children keeps a sense of discovery alive in my life.

My approach to teaching is eclectic. I am a serious free school sympathizer who has been taught to put academic standards at the center of my teacher planning; my job is to facilitate learning opportunities for my students. My classroom activity is often centered on student projects and self-paced instruction and assessment in a challenging, but nurturing atmosphere.

I am happy to be a part of the teaching team at EcoSchool. Our commitment to student-driven education compels us to continually refine our techniques and our school just gets better and better as a result!

I was born in Los Angeles, California in 1959 to a mom whose middle name was 'adventure'. Growing up we spent a lot of time traveling and were in and out of towns, states, countries and public schools, where I had never really felt very much at home any way. In 1973 my mother, sister and I moved to Austin, Texas and , at long last, settled down.

Recognizing that the public school system was not really working for her two children my mother found a 'Free School' nestled in the woods, 35 miles outside of Austin, and a whole new adventure began.

The Free School, modeled loosely after Summerhill, had opened in 1969 and was the creative, nurturing haven for about 35 children ranging in age from 5-18. Its foundational beliefs were that children were as deserving of respect as the rest of humanity and the leading authority on their own personal and educational needs. In an environment of love and respect I was free to choose how I might spend my time and there I learned the lessons that have made the most difference in my life. How to relate to people, the value of resolving conflicts respectfully and honorably, what it takes to make mistakes and still look the people you respect in the eye, knowing that you are loved for who you are, not what you do.

With the pressure to make grades removed from my life I developed a fondness for writing, nature, science, history, world cultures, yoga, crafts, world religions, peaceful conflict resolution, and, eventually, mathematics!

Inspired by own experiences in alternative eduction I gravitated to working and playing with children in the same ways that I had been worked and played with. I have taught in alternative schools, Montessori schools, at home with my own three children (now grown), in homeschool co-ops and now at Austin EcoSchool.

My fondness and passion is for teaching through games. At Austin EcoSchool I teach Game of Village©, a role playing game that uses the real world as its model. In Village© children have the opportunity to explore the world of finance, government , creativity and, well, what ever they think up! In an atmosphere of play we are released from the significance placed on the varying aspects of life and are left free to explore, unconcerned with 'getting it right'. When we play, our hearts and minds are open and learning comes as a natural consequence.

I have lived in Austin since 1988. Originally trained as an analytical chemist (graduated magna cum laude BS Biology/chemistry minor), I became drawn to education, with the birth of our daughter, Clementina, in 1998.

I have participated in and helped create several childcare cooperatives in South Austin, and just prior to my work at Austin EcoSchool, I taught the Pre-K class for the Collaborative Learning Academic Program (CLAP), a secular homeschool coop in Central Austin. I have also taught at Starbright Preschool, a Waldorf-oriented NEAYC accredited PreK program, and mentored with their director, Jean Dordek, MaED, for three years as lead teacher in their 3-5 year old classroom.

At Austin EcoSchool, I am privileged to guide students at their own pace through the inter-related disciplines of mathematics, science, cooking/baking and gardening/nature. Where I can, I add story telling, singing and music, Spanish language and art using various media. I lead a role playing game (RPG) unique to Austin EcoSchool, where the children and I explore elements of world history. The game allows children to create personae to explore an era fully and to establish a working knowledge of the social, economic and historical contexts of each time period.

I borrow from various educational philosophies to create a gentle and peaceful classroom experience, rich in experiential learning, art and music, and respect for self, for peers and for nature. My goals are to culture positive energy and channel enthusiasm so the children may have a safe and magical experience as they explore their world. I believe that every child learns best when allowed to explore at self-determined pace and in an individual manner. I also believe that education is not an end, but a journey.

I have been married to my cherished life partner, Alan, since 1993. He has been my inspiration and source of unstinting support in this, my own journey.

EcoSchool welcomes Julie Stiler, our new Kindergarten-1st Grade Teacher, who comes to us from Maine. She is a very experienced teacher, mom to grown children who attended a school very similar to EcoSchool, and her teaching experience there formed the kernel of her educational philosophy. What Julie communicated during the interview process makes us believe that she has an inherent grasp of the EcoSchool way of doing things, and we very much look forward to having her on staff. She has taught in multi-age classrooms, and relishes "looping" (having students for multiple years) at EcoSchool.

Julie is an environmental educator who has experience working with every age level in the school district she departs. Julie is also a children's yoga instructor and has a personal interest in African dance. Julie and her husband move to Austin, where they already own a house, bringing her close to her daughter who also is a kindergarten teacher.

Paul comes to us from Berkeley, California, by way of NYC. His undergraduate degree from Reed College is in English, and he has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, as well as an English Education Advanced Certificate from City College of New York. He moves to Austin this summer with his artist wife, Maggie, and infant son, Max. With more than five years of English Language Arts experience, Paul has taught with dedication, creativity and passion to students of wide-ranging backgrounds and ages. He is absolutely thrilled to be the Austin EcoSchool's new Language Arts and Social Studies teacher. Apart from being an educator, Paul is also a dedicated playwright, recreational runner, and, for better or for worse, lifelong San Francisco Giants baseball fanatic.