Annie Gunn
I was lucky to be born in Austin, and to be raised by
creative parents (an artist and an engineer/musician). As an only
child, I grew up in a nurturing environment that was always
intellectually and creatively stimulating, which I believe gave me
an innate love for learning through expression and discovery. I've
always loved how unearthing, constructing, and connecting ideas
organically, using a hands-on approach makes learning so
exciting!
Ever since I began working with kids, I've gravitated toward
environments with a reverence for this kind of learning. I started
out 10 years ago as an assistant in public school classrooms,
coaching small groups of struggling readers, and although I grew up
within the public school system myself, it didn't offer what I was
seeking in a learning environment. So I was very lucky to find
Starbright Preschool, where I plunged head-first into the world of
Waldorf-based education. I spent three and a half wonderful years
at Starbright, teaching 3-5 year olds and later 2-3 year olds in
this fantastic arts and nature-based curriculum. I received a
wealth of learning-from-doing, and from mentors alongside me, as
well as guest speakers from all over the country who flew in to
train us. This experience really shaped me and taught me to love
learning (and learning about learning). I was inspired to learn
more about brain development, even on hiatus as a photographer
touring with rock bands (I was the one who could be found in the
back of the tour van with my stack of books about developmental
psychology and neuroscience).
In 2006 I was invited aboard at Austin Discovery School. I found
that their Constructivist philosophy complimented Waldorf ideas
well, and further enriched my experience. There, I worked as as an
assistant teacher in Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades and later
within to the Special Education department, focusing primarily on
literacy. For the last year and a half, I've enjoyed many
activities, working as an office administrator, a photographer, a
substitute teacher in private schools across Austin, and being a
private Dyslexia tutor for an amazing 10-year old.
A wide range of experiences has brought me here to the wonderfully
dynamic atmosphere of AHB. I couldn't be more thrilled to be
brought on in the Fall as the LA teacher in the Beta classroom! It
will be so exciting to take part in such a tight-knit and
enthusiastic learning community, with such incredible kids. I look
forward to a wonderful year!
Feel free to contact me at Annie@ahbcs.org!
Valerie Ott
I have lived in Austin for the past five years, and am thrilled
to call it home. I recently graduated from Texas State University
with a degree in Elementary education, and I am certified in early
childhood education through sixth grade. Texas State
University provided me with a variety of experiences teaching
children, including opportunities to work with preschool, first,
and second grade. I have enjoyed every experience on many
levels, and I am amorous of any encounter that will lend itself to
learning and growing as an educator. I have also had the
pleasure of teaching at Camp I Want to Help, a local summer camp
that empowers young people to set about improving themselves, their
community, and their world.
The majority of my experience with children comes from my son
who continually shares with me a new and interesting way to view
the world. I admire his curiosity, perpetual spark, and
wit. Spending time with my son often allows me to partake in
some of my favorite childhood games, including hide-and-seek and
Candy land. I enjoy the chance to release my inner child and
to laugh, to smile, and to share the excitement of new discoveries
and ideas.
I seek to inspire my students to be curious about their world,
and to explore it in as many ways as they can imagine. I
believe in encouraging students to develop a life-long love for
learning. I seek to create an environment where children will
be eager to learn and explore their world, and where they will feel
safe to take risks without fear.
When I have a free moment, I enjoy reading alone or to my
son. I love to read aloud as it allows me to create
characters that help bring any story to life. I have always
loved to write poetry and short stories, and it continues to be one
of my favorite past times. I hope to bring my passion for the
written word into my classroom and to inspire our future Mark
Twain's and Jane Austen's. I also enjoy walking in the
greenbelt, or strolling on South Congress while
window-shopping.
I am thrilled to be a part of Austin Home Base as the Penta
Alpha teacher! The collaboration of the amazing educators at
AHB makes for an exciting environment to be a part of. I look
forward to spending my days with the creative, passionate, and
extraordinary individuals who come in and out of our doors each
school day.
Feel free to contact me at Courtney@ahbcs.org
Jennifer Mulvey
I am humbled and honored, gracious and enlightened, each day I
spend witnessing a moment of learning with a student. It is a
gift to be in the occupation of inspiring, fostering, and believing
in the talents and abilities of others. For me, teaching is
an opportunity to connect and engage with different learning styles
in the ways needed for individual holistic growth. I love
working with children and co-creating a learning environment that
is safe, supportive, creative, and fun!
There are many hobbies and interests I carry with me in my
teaching. As a child, I loved reading and writing. One
of my first books (pre-kindergarten) highlighted my love for
cats. My mom read three or more books to me every night
before bed, and my dad helped edit my poetic endeavors.
Eventually, my love for poetry evolved into song writing, which
continues to be a creative outlet. I also love painting,
mixed media art, the natural world, natural health, and
international travel. A philanthropist at heart, I seek to
honor and nurture the individual pursuits and talents of my
students.
I hold a B.A. with an individual concentration self-titled "A
Holistic Approach to Mental Health" from the University of
Massachusetts. I enjoyed working in the mental health field
and with adults with intellectual disabilities for several years
before relocating to Austin in 2004. At that time, I had the
fulfilling experience of serving in an AmeriCorps program for two
years as a full time elementary bilingual literacy tutor. I
also volunteered many hours educating parents and families on
supporting literacy development. It was through this amazing
work that the seed for love of literacy and all things language
arts continued to be watered.
Loving the art of teaching, I then went on to become certified
in EC- 8 as a generalist, EC- 12 Special Education, and English as
a Second Language. I am fortunate to have taught in public,
non-profit, and charter school settings. I have taught Kinder
through fifth grade, mostly in multi-aged classrooms; and have
substituted Early Childhood through grade 12. These
experiences have been impactful and valuable in facilitating my
personal and professional growth as a teacher. Connecting
with a diverse student population has enabled me to differentiate
for various learning styles, to meet learners where they are, and
to bring them where they want to be. I am so thankful to have
found AHB and to be joining this community to continue my
journey. I resonate with the school philosophy and seek
to support and nurture each child's pursuit of knowledge.
It is with great joy and excitement that I embark upon this
opportunity to reach out and inspire a love for reading, writing,
and life long learning with the students of AHB!
Kirsten Coleman
I love being a teacher because I get to learn each day from
and with my students! I love seeing the development of the kids'
personalities, convictions, and growth. I discover and laugh each
day with the unexpected insights and perspectives of the
kids.
My educational experience includes teaching at AHB Community
School, the Wallah School, tutoring children in Math and Reading,
and coaching teams in Math Pentathlon, Math Olympiad, and The Stock
Market Game. I have taught both children and adults for over 20
years in different capacities, but primarily in math, science,
programming & teaching techniques.
Before teaching I worked for 12 years in various capacities in the
high tech corporate world, and before that, the veterinary world.
My favorite job in high tech was being an intermediary between
executive management, sales and programmers, and getting to travel
around seeing different industries, places, and types of jobs. In
the veterinary world, my favorite job was vaccinating goats and
sheep for shipment to Honduras for Heifer Project
International.
I feel privileged to co-start and be at AHB Community School,
where integrity, learning, and bettering ourselves and hopefully
the world around us is primary. I look forward to getting to know
you!
Feel free to contact me at Kirsten@ahbcs.org!
Carrie Carmichael
Kids are our future and I always think about how I can shape
their growth so they will become successful in their life.
I am so happy to be born and raised in Austin with my wonderful
family. I am the youngest of three girls and a third generation
Austinite. I studied Elementary Education at Millikin University in
Decatur, Illinois. There I studied music, psychology and finally
education. It wasn't until I started learning about the different
ways that I could become a facilitator of education that I found my
calling. I graduated Millikin in May, 2011 with a Bachelor of
Science in Elementary Education and a minor in Music.
While I worked on my education I found myself working any job
related to childcare. I have been a nanny, babysitter, tutor, and
also worked in various preschools. I found myself to be truly
happiest when I was able to make a child feel better about a
problem or explain a concept in a way that worked for them.
I love the weekends and spend most of my time biking, hiking or
swimming during the long summers of Texas. I enjoy the many
different musical artist that Austin has to offer and try to listen
to new music every time I go to a show. I have studied several
instruments throughout my life including piano, guitar, and the
flute. I also enjoy crafts and I am always working on a new project
like a collage, scrapbook, paper mache, or creating jewelry.
I truly believe that I have found my muse in education and I
look forward to the opportunity to meet and work with all of
you.