Teacher Justine
Substitute Teacher
she/her
I'm excited to be joining the Treehouse staff as a substitute teacher as of February 2023. I moved with my family from the SF Bay Area a little over a year ago, leaving a school I loved, and I'm happy to have found The Treehouse to continue my journey.
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Working with children is what I was meant to do. I came home from kindergarten and announced that I planned to become a teacher, and my path hasn't strayed since. I hold a BA in psychology, focused on developmental and social psych, and a certificate in Early Childhood Education, as well as a California Adult Teaching Credential in Parent Education.
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I've spent the bulk of my career (about 35 years, since 1986!) teaching toddlers, preschoolers, and their parents in parent co-operative nursery schools. I've always worked to create child-centered, childhood-honoring programs with as many natural materials and as much appreciation for the wonders of the world around us and the cycles of nature as possible, so I'm excited to plunge into Treehouse's Waldorf-inspired environment.
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While my best days are spent with children, I've always enjoyed working with their grownups, too. I've led parenting classes and teacher training workshops, and I have a passion for showing grownups how wonderful their children really are, how much better they learn when we respect the way nature intended them to learn, and how to help them grow into being their best selves through positive, supportive guidance.
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When I'm not playing with children at school, I enjoy spending time with my own three grown "children" and my two school-aged grandbabies, including helping out at their progressive school, reading together, and pursuing endeavors of creativity and curiosity. My husband and I both love to cook, and we enjoy "the dance" of working in the kitchen together to create meals for friends and family. I also love exploring the woods with my dog as we get acquainted with our new home, and I am a collector of nature's artwork, from seashells to rocks to lichen.
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