ÅÝܽÊÓƵ

Jeremy Crawford, Grade Two Teacher

Jeremy Crawford was born and raised in Anchorage, and attended public school (K-12) here. His parents were both teachers, his mother at the elementary level, and his father teaching high school. Mr. Crawford attended the elder Mr. Crawford’s Philosophy class in high school, and learned a good lesson in ethics: having forgotten to complete the final essay of the course, he received a B grade, despite having a definite “in” with the teacher. Steeped in education, Mr. Crawford swore it off forever as a profession (especially Middle School), and left for college in Gunnison, Colorado (BA, Biology). There, influenced by sunny winters and the beauty of cross-country ski racing, he found that he loved his freedom, and found himself a good education in a rather bad school, skied his heart out, and found true love.

He and his wife, Devon, honeymooned on the Alaska Highway then settled into paradise (it really was, for them!): Fairbanks, AK, where Mr. Crawford studied creative writing at UAF (MFA, Creative Writing). He and his wife also learned a thing or two about the cold and the dark (for one thing, you get to see lots of Northern Lights!) 

Despite his earlier decision never to go into teaching, it turns out that teaching really is in Mr. Crawford’s blood. Waldorf education in particular was always somewhere in his heart, even though he did not know it. When he was studying to be a teacher, he was always drawn to the ideas that Waldorf education rests upon—he just didn’t realize that there was really a place for him as a teacher! Still, he knew one thing: you can’t teach unless you have students, and you can’t do good in the world unless you try, so he went ahead and got his teaching certificate, hoping to change some of the things that he had learned about in his studies. Slowly, Mr. Crawford and Waldorf education snuck up on one another, until one spring afternoon in 2005, as he was teaching his second graders at Roger’s Park Elementary School, just down the road from here, in walked… Ms. Mall! She was the principal of a brand new school (so new, in fact, that it did not really even exist yet), and she was there to meet him, and see how he taught. And the rest, as they say, is history. Mr. Crawford has taught at Winterberry since the 2005-06 school year, and he is beginning another loop of first-graders.

Mr. Crawford and his wife, Devon, have a son, North, a graduate of Winterberry.

Kim Spillane, Grade Three Teacher

Kim Spillane was born and raised in a small town in Southwest Washington State where she lived with her mother, father, and her older and younger brothers. She spent her early years walking the fields between her childhood house and her grandparents’ home, riding ponies, playing in creeks, and helping to tend the family’s French Alpine dairy goat farm. Although Kim loved the small-town setting of her childhood, she dreamed of seeing the world. Kim graduated from Western Washington University with her Bachelor of Education Degree in 1996, and started her teaching career as a substitute teacher and afterschool care coordinator on San Juan Island off the coast of Washington. She then spent three years teaching on the Island of Saipan in Micronesia. Kim decided it was time to move closer to home, but didn’t want to give up her spirit of adventure. She moved to Kodiak Island in 2000 to teach in the Island’s logging camps and villages. There she had the chance to live remotely, surrounded by nature’s beauty, and learn from some of the most rugged and resilient people she’s met. After a few years, Kodiak Schools loaned Kim to the State, giving her the chance to enjoy some time in Fairbanks and mentor teachers new to the profession. She then returned to Kodiak, lived in town, met and married her husband James, finished her M.Ed. with an emphasis on Reading, had two sons, and continued to work and love Alaska’s Emerald Isle. However, during that same time, James’ career began to grow, and it was ready to be transplanted to Anchorage. Since their two sons were very young, they decided to make the move and for Kim to spend time at home raising their boys. As their first son approached school-age, Kim and James began to explore different schooling options for their children, when through friends, they learned about Winterberry’s Hybrid Program. The whole family loved the Hybrid Program and found a deepening appreciation of Waldorf Education. As time went on, and both boys were attending Winterberry, Kim was able to help with the Hybrid Program as a long-term substitute and then served as an aide in several Winterberry classrooms for two years. During that time, Kim attended Antioch University’s Waldorf Teacher Certification Program along with some of her wonderful Winterberry colleagues. The chance to continue working with these colleagues, the dedicated families, and the energetic and creative children of Winterberry fills Kim with excitement, honor, and hope!

Sandy Christenson was born in Massachusetts, and has spent her entire life living all over the United States and England. She attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she earned a B.A. in English and a. M.Ed. (Master of Education).

After graduation, Ms. Christenson worked at a small private school for adolescents with emotional disturbances. She then followed her dream of living in Wyoming, where she taught high school English in a very small and remote town. She decided to settle there permanently until she met her husband, Craig, who was on active duty in the Air Force. Her first move with the military was to Idaho. There, she taught sixth grade. Subsequent military moves brought her to Oklahoma and Texas, where she and her husband had their son, Lane, and daughter, Katie. One final military move brought them to Alaska. This great state captured the hearts of the entire family, and Craig retired from the Air Force so they could finally put down roots.

As Lane and Katie both reached school age, Ms. Christenson ventured back into teaching and pursued education to become a Highly Qualified Teacher in elementary education to add to her certifications in middle school and high school language arts. .

Ms. Christenson was first exposed to Waldorf education nine years ago, and upon learning of Winterberry, picked this school as her ideal teaching assignment. She has happily handed over the day-to-day operations of her composting worm business to her husband.

Ms. Christenson, her husband, and their two children currently live with their dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs, numerous chickens, several fish, and a few million composting worms. Both Lane and Katie are Winterberry graduates. When he is not elbow-deep in worms, Dr. Christenson spends his free time mushing and dreams of one day entering the Iditarod. Together, the family enjoys hiking, backpacking, hunting, dip netting, crafting, reading, crafts, and games.