I am a Waldorf educator with over a decade of experience, and have taught grades Kindergarten through 7th. Before discovering Waldorf Education, I taught in traditional public schools for several years. For the last 4 years, I have worked directly with homeschooling families, developed curriculum, and led outdoor kindergarten.

 

My light shines the brightest when I am working with children,

especially in nature.

 

When I look back on my childhood and the experiences that led me to where I am today, the most memorable moments were spent outdoors. I would spend hours climbing the beloved tree in my yard; explore the hot springs and surrounding wild spaces at Warner Springs Ranch; hunt with my father and brothers; search for sand dollars with my mother and grandmother; swim and snorkel in the ocean for junior lifeguards; and play soccer for my club, high school, Olympic Development Program, and college teams. School was generally uninspiring for me until my third grade teacher. She was different from my previous teachers and from any of the others that would follow. She was kind, playful, creative, and understanding and had a warmth that I can still feel to this day. She made me love learning, showed me how much influence and a difference a teacher can make, and set me on my path to becoming a teacher.

 

My journey to becoming a teacher took me to the University of California at San Diego where I graduated with my BA in Anthropology with concentration in Science and Technology and Education. I received my Multiple Subject (K-8) Teaching Credential from the University of California at Irvine and my Waldorf Certification through Rudolf Steiner College. During college, I also worked as a soccer coach at San Clemente High School, a preschool teacher, a swimming instructor and lifeguard, and a substitute teacher. After my higher education, I acquired real world experience as an elementary school teacher and as a parent.

 

Being a mother to three spirited children has helped me gain immense perspective as a teacher. It has also inspired me to read an absurd amount of parenting, child development, and education books. My training, experience, and research has inspired me to create Head, Heart, and Hands, a program that blends the freedom of self-directed education, the hands-on, sensory-rich, healthy risk-taking experiences of nature immersion, and the relationship-based, developmentally appropriate Waldorf curriculum that educates a child’s head, heart and hands. I believe children deserve true connection with nature and an amazing, inspiring education surrounded by friends and teachers who love them and will help them to become their greatest selves.

 

Along with being a teacher and mother, I am also a trained doula, in love with all things pregnancy and birth. When I am not teaching, you can find me making food and crafts, reading, and hopefully exploring nature with my husband and three sons.