LittleLeaf School llc.

        


Priscilla is a mama and NYS Certified Art Teacher and has taught in classrooms for 11 years. She opened LittleLeaf as a way to continue her dedicated love of teaching and help homeschoolers find a part-time class of their own.
Located in West Danby/Newfield, 6 miles South of Ithaca, NY on LittleLeaf Hollow Homestead with farm animals and forests.
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Courtney is a certified Children’s Yoga Instructor and Mindful Parent Facilitator with two young children. She opened Willow Tree to continue on her path to share love and kindness with each child she encounters.
Located in Ecovillage, 2 miles outside of Ithaca, NY with ample outdoor play space within a pedestrian community.
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Michelle grew up on a farm in Newfield and has an art degree. She has a daughter who brings vibrance to her teaching and life. She opened Climbing Vine to be able to connect the outdoors, gardening and hands-on experiences into young children’s lives.
Located in Newfield, 6 miles from Ithaca, NY surrounded by gardens, an orchard, and ample outdoor exploratory space.
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We believe that having reverence for the earth, loving to learn, help, and share are the basic foundations for a child’s early years.

I have always been a teacher.

My grandmother had a home day care where I spent most of my time as a child and teenager. I am the oldest child in my family with 20 first cousins, two brothers, and many little children at the daycare who looked up to me for guidance and role modeling.

My love of the Arts showed me a path that was just right when I attended Buffalo State College for Art Education, Fine Arts in Ceramics, Art Therapy, Photography, Painting and Drawing. I  graduated with a NYS teaching cert. B.S. in Art Ed, BFA in Ceramics, and Minors in Art Therapy, Painting and Drawing. During this time, I discovered my love of the Waldorf Pedagogy and I researched endlessly and incorporated the Waldorf theory within my lessons.

I was teaching in schools as a substitute and accomplishing the pre-service teaching experience work throughout my college years. In the summers I would run summer camps and programs with children from pre-k through 8th grade. Then I continued on with teaching art at an inner city Buffalo High School, Lafayette High School. While teaching there my students and myself were honored on the front page of USA Today and the local news channels for our work on African-American Slave Quilts and  donation to children with Cancer. Most of my lessons were Waldorf -inspired, as was this one. Did you do quilt work as part of your High School Art class?

I loved my work so much that I moved to the inner city areas of New York City. I was first hired as a teacher to teach both children and teachers how to incorportate learning through the arts into the classrooms. I designed curriculum and lessons for the Magnet Art Schools that were shared throughout schools in NYC and based in Waldorf pedagogy.

After four years in NYC, I decided that I would like to start to settle down, as I would not like to live in NYC forever, or raise children there on a teachers salary. I finally enrolled at Sunbridge College and started my studies of the Waldorf Education methods formally.

During my studies, I was offered a position at The Stone Circle School in Ithaca, NY. I immediately packed my bags and started teaching again. I had a beautiful and magical k/1st class that grew to be 1st/2nd graders by the time I had to leave on maternity.

Which brings us to today. LitteLeaf has been in the planning stages of my heart since I was a child. I have always wished for a little school of my own where I could nurture, celebrate, and create community with the families and children in my classes. We are reaching the end of our second year! We are looking forward to opening up two homeschool classes and ceramic arts classes in the fall. I like to keep the class small, about 10-12 children, as learning social skills and incorporating a home atmosphere is imperative and a small group is perfect for learning and exploring.

I look forward to filling up the classroom with love and light each day.

Miss Courtney is a gentle and kind teacher. She will be guiding and helping the children in their world and meets each child where they are in her own Sister School to LittleLeaf at Ecovillage starting in the Winter of 2009-2010.

She is a mother and experienced teacher. In addition to mothering she has more than ten years experience with children in a variety of settings, including preschools and in home childcare.  She is also certified in, and teaches, yoga to children. Look for Little Buddha Yoga Classes! In addition she is a Mindfulness Education for Children facilitator, trained at Omega Institute.

Miss Courtney will be staying with us for many years in her goal to educate herself and lead her own school with us this year.

Michelle Menter - I love nature and children. Growing up on a farm in Newfield, I spent summers exploring the forest and riding horses. After obtaining a BA in painting and women’s studies, I returned to begin an apple orchard with family at Two Sisters Farm. We have provided CSA shares to families and sold vegetables, eggs, flowers and fruit at the Ithaca Farmers Market. I also directed See Spot Community Artspace on The Commons for four years. Now that I'm a mother I'm thrilled to draw on my years of experience in the field of childcare and agriculture to bring this vibrant program to our community.

I live on a beautiful farm in Newfield with 3 generations of
family. My years of experience in agriculture, child education and
art make the seasonal children's gardening program The KinderGarden, a
community favorite. Now I am happy to bring the outdoors, gardening and
hands-on-the-earth experiences into young children's lives all through
                               the year with Climbing Vine Childcare!

Located in Newfield, 6 miles from Ithaca, NY surrounded by gardens, an
orchard, chickens, horses and plenty of outdoor exploratory space.