Stacey Woods | 1st Grade Teacher
Education & Experience:
Stacey has been working in the education field for over 25 years. She has earned a B.S. in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood, and is currently licensed by the state of North Carolina K-6.
Teaching Philosophy:
You cannot be who you do not believe yourself to be....Believe in yourself!
Favorite thing about kids:
Kids are brilliantly open and imaginative. They are seedlings loaded with the ability and potential to do anything. I love watching kids learn about and navigate the world. Also, they make me laugh often!
What I love about teaching at WBNS:
I love teaching at WBNS because I love my team... a dynamic group of educators who are working together to create an authentic, holistic experience and education for our students. I also love the close connection and collaboration that we have with the students and their families. Plus the the setting is fantastic :)
Paul Mundy | Elementary & Middle School Physical Education Teacher
Education & Experience: I have coached youth sports for 13 years from kindergarten to 8th graders. I have also coached Madison Middle School girls basketball team for a year. I have been at Woodson Branch for the past 2 years teaching the physical education classes and assisting in 5th/ 6th grade specials.
Teaching Philosophy:
Success is not a good teacher, failure makes you humble.... Shah Rukh Khan
Favorite thing about kids:
Joy, resiliency
Favorite thing about working at WBNS:
Getting to hang out with kids...
Kati Puglisi | Elementary SPECIALS Teacher
Education & Experience:
Kati Puglisi has been working with children of all ages, in many different settings, for over 15 years. She ran her own home-based preschool, organized several after-school programs and summer camps, and has been a substitute teacher for many different schools. Her expertise and experience is mostly earth-based, including organic farming and permaculture, animal care & wellness, herbal medicine and plant ID. She is artistic and loves to create with children. She has three sons who were primarily homeschooled during their early education, five cats and four dogs. Her favorite topics to teach are Outdoor Education and Art.
Teaching Philosophy:
Kids learn best through playful experiences.
What I love about teaching at WBNS:
The freedom! I love having access to 30 acres of beautiful forest or the choice of several different buildings to teach in and around. Also, the staff and the administration!
Favorite thing about kids:
They know how to have FUN!
Cassandra Lewis | Animal Science Agriculture Teacher
Education & Experience:
I have a BA in Anthropology/Geology from SIUC and have taken several graduate level classes in City Planning and Geographical Informational Systems. I love maps, old bones and interpretating how people preceding written history lived and how their history can be seen on and within the landscape on which we now live. I worked as an Archaeological field/lab technician and attended graduate school in Columbus, OH before moving to Marshall in 2002. After moving to Marshall, I started a small farm raising dairy goats, chickens, and ducks. I grew produce for farmers markets, baked for local businesses and made handmade paper from excess produce plant fibers. I began my teaching career at HSCLC in the after school program in 2009. I continued my path with HSCLC for many years and taught in many capacities while there including: teaching with Ms. Lou in transitional kindergarten, summer camp counselor, and after school teacher. When WBNS opened its doors, I gladly signed on as the Agriculture Specials Teacher and Livestock Coordinator, adding goats, rabbits and chickens to the school grounds.
Teaching Philosophy:
For me teaching is not showing a child how to do something, that’s training; but inspiring children to teach themselves is invaluable. Acknowledging and uplifting every student's potential to learn as well as their potential to teach is a value I hold high for myself. I value the belief that educating children outdoors through nature is an irreplaceable experience that all children deserve. The popular bumper sticker says it simply, “Children grow better outside.”
“As a child, one has that magical capacity to move among the many eras of the earth; to see the land as an animal does; to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; to feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us; to know a hundred different smells of mud and listen unselfconsciously to the soughing of the trees.” Valerie Andrews
Favorite thing about kids:
Their inquisitive and curious minds and how they naturally interpret the world through play.
Favorite thing about working at WBNS: Having the freedom to explore and experiment with an assortment of multi-sensory teaching strategies and beinq able to teach within our natural outdoor world. And working with an amazing group of teachers and families also makes teaching at WBNS exceptional!
Brittany Deesing | 3rd & 4th Grade Teacher
Education & Experience:
I have always been interested in science, the arts, and working with children. When I first began college, I wasn't sure how I could incorporate my top three passions into one promising career. Throughout my college journey, starting at a community college, then Warren Wilson, and then graduating from UNC Asheville, I found joy in tutoring my peers, helping them understand concepts and gain confidence within themselves. I interned for UNCA, starting a campus-wide recycling/composting campaign study, where success was statistically measured, and recycling/composting efforts were at an all time high. After I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science, I went to Asheville GreenWorks, an environmental non-profit in Asheville, where I helped create fun games, lessons, and projects to actively teach elementary students about recycling and composting. I was also the theatrical "Compost Queen", with a homemade fruit crown and cape, and would visit schools inspiring kids to care about their environmental impact. I was getting closer to finding what I was looking for. Then, I met Debbie at Woodson Branch for originally a discussion about composting. The moment I stepped onto the property, I had an epiphany, and the discussion became an interview. I soon after began my teacher assistant position with the 3rd and 4th grade. I fell in love with the kids, the school, the whole community, and the hands on creative, yet scientific teaching philosophy of Woodson Branch. The following year, a lead teacher position for 3rd and 4th grade was offered to me, and I gladly accepted the opportunity. I finally found what I was looking for all along - a career where I can help kids blossom, not just academically, but also in self confidence, persistence, and social and environmental responsibility, using creativity, science, and my own experiences as tools to teach and inspire our youth.
Teaching Philosophy:
"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin
What I love about teaching at WBNS:
My favorite thing about teaching at Woodson Branch is that I am always challenged, and I am always encouraged to be myself. I love a good challenge, and as I overcome them it helps me grow as a teacher, and as a person. This models perseverance and helps build character within my students as well. I am encouraged to use my competitive nature, creativity, problem solving skills, persistence, sensitivity, and love for knowledge as tools to teach my students about academic and life lessons. My favorite part of being a part of this community is the phenomenal support and love I receive. I always feel supported when facing a challenge, and I am so grateful to be part of this family!
Favorite thing about kids:
My favorite thing about kids is their imagination! As adults, we tend to get wrapped up in our daily challenges and sometimes lose sight of things outside that. Kids brighten life with their imagination, and energize my own creativity. They remind us to live in the moment and cherish life's small moments. I also love their curiosity and excitement towards learning. I think kids inspire me as much as I inspire them.
Amanda Wilder | 2nd Grade Teacher
Education & Experience:
I worked for five years with a variety of age groups in a preschool/daycare setting, including afterschool care for children up to 12yrs old. While working in the field, I completed many hours of training for Early Childhood Education Certification, including Early Literacy and Mathematics. When I moved to Madison County, I worked as the Children's Librarian in all three branches of the public library. After my children were born, I focused on raising them. I homeschooled my boys up to the fifth grade and was involved in a homeschool co-op, where I participated as a parent teacher. The classes that I taught included Science, History, Writing Workshops, and various art and handworks. After my children were enrolled in public school, I completed the Effective Classroom Management course through AB-Tech. I was hired as the teacher at Little Ivy, a homeschool enrichment cooperative for children ages 5-7. Since the beginning of WBNS, I have served as the second grade teacher.
Teaching Philosophy:
My basic teaching philosophy is that kids need to use their bodies and minds throughout the day in order to do their best.
What I love about teaching at WBNS:
My favorite thing about teaching at WBNS is the small size that allows for all of the staff to really know the students and truly support growth for everyone. I also love being outside throughout the day and our dedication to the students having unstructured time in the woods, every day.
Favorite thing about kids:
My favorite things about children are their playful imaginations and joy in small pleasures.
Naomi Dunn | Elementary Teacher Assistant
Education & Experience:
A graduate of Warran Wilson and NC Outwardbound School, Naomi is a Nature Mentor whose focus is to nurture connections with students, develop skills and stewardship, who brings 6+ years of experience in Outdoor and Experiential Education.
Teaching Philosophy:
Not all children learn the at the same pace or in the same way. Its important to figure out how they learn and what works best for them.
Favorite thing about kids:
Children are unique, amazing individuals. I have 3 children of my own who have all grown up in the same environment but have very different personalities, dreams and goals. My husband has 3 children as well. All 6 of them have amazing qualities and are as different as can be, but get along well together.
Favorite thing about working at WBNS: the sense of community and how we all interact and work together. I love learning right alongside my daughter about agriculture, the history, and the heritage of WNC.
Kate Eckhardt | 1st Grade SPECIALS Teacher
Education & Experience:
Kate has a Master's Degree in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University. She has taught preschool, environmental education, kids' yoga, and creative movement for many years. Interspersed with her time teaching, she has worked for several environmental nonprofits, recently running a Farmers' Market in Asheville. She has studied permaculture and herbalism, and has worked on several farms in WNC.
Teaching Philosophy:
"The courage to teach is the courage to keep one's heart open in those very moments when the heart is asked to hold more than it is able so that teacher and students and subject can be woven into the fabric of community that learning, and living, require." Parker Palmer
Favorite thing about kids:
Their joy & enthusiasm is contagious!
Favorite thing about working at WBNS: TI have found my dream job at WBNS! We have a fabulous school community, and I get to share many of my passions in the realms of farm, arts, and forest with the kids.
