Faculty

Early Childhood

Shannon Landis - Kindergarten Teacher
Education: Early Childhood Associate Degree, Rudolf Steiner College: A.D. Nursing, Kansas City, KS Community College.  Attended several conferences at Waldorf teacher-education institutes with anthroposophical physicians and Waldorf early childhood educators.

Professional Experience: Over 30 years working with the young child, PRWS Early Childhood Educator and Parent/Child Educator; owner/administrator/early childhood caregiver of Wisconsin-licensed children's daycare center; Waldorf Early childhood educator- Kansas Waldorf school initiatives; prenatal childbirth and breastfeeding educator; Registered Nurse--Kansas, Missouri and Wisconsin; psychiatry, oncology, midwifery and eldercare.

The shining joy of young children at play in the Waldorf kindergarten is testament to their gratitude for life in this wondrous universe. My understanding of our spiritual heritage gives me strength to cultivate and practice in myself the reverence and gratitude which supports the child's belief that our world is good. I wholeheartedly share with parents the responsibility of guiding children into our school, community and world.

Anne-Marie Fryer - Kindergarten Teacher

My goal in teaching is to nurture a healthy, respectful relationship with the world and ourselves in order to enthusiastically pursue life and the longing of our heart.

Heidi Burke - Kindergarten Teacher
Education:  B.A. in Early Childhood/Exceptional Educational Needs, Cardinal Stritch, Fox Point, WI.  Foundations in Anthroposophy, Sophia Institute, Viroqua, WI; Birth-Three Waldorf Teacher Training, Sophia's Hearth

Professional Experience:  Substitute Teacher, Kindergarten, Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School;  Co-teacher, Parent-Child Class, PRWS; Kindergarten Teacher, Southern Door Elementary School, Brussels, WI; 1st Grade Teacher, Urban Day School, Milwaukee, WI; Artist, Musician, Multi-linguist (German & Spanish).

At a time when our mainstream culture is accelerating the pace of life of our young children, I feel it is more important than ever to experience the precious qualities a Waldorf kindergarten has to offer. I realized I wanted to work in a school that builds reverence and beauty in one''s life, nurtures the soul, and instills a love of learning.


The Grades

Betty Link - Class Two Teacher
Education: B.S. from UW-Madison in Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology, minor in French; Masters from UW-Milwaukee in Communication Disorders; Certificate of Studies at the Sorbonne, Paris and Universite de Reims, France; Waldorf Teacher Training certificate from UW-Milwaukee, Milwaukee 1992.

Professional Experience:  Twelve years experience as a speech therapist. Waldorf teacher, Prairie Hill Waldorf School, Pewaukee, WI,  graduating two classes from grades one through eight  (Class of 2001 and  2010).  Attended many grade level intensives at various Waldorf Training Institutes, early AWSNA mentor training meetings and did mentoring and evaluation for our school. Representative to AWSNA for several years.  Faculty chair, member on various committees and been a presenter on various topics at parent and teacher Waldorf conferences.

The term ''head, heart and hands'' may seem clich%uFFFD but I am a great believer in the power of three-fold lessons that develop the thinking, feeling and willing capacities in the children.  More so now than ever, our young people need to experience and celebrate all the goodness and beauty in the world, which will help them develop a foundational sense of self so they can then care for each other. I strive daily to nurture and sustain in myself a sense of awe, wonder and reverence for life''s gifts so I can model joy for the young child.


Ximena Puig - Classes Three and Four Co-Teacher
Education:  Sculpture at El Instituto de Bellas Artes & Spanish at El Instituto de Idiomas, Sevilla, Spain; B.A. in Spanish & Hispanic Studies at Earlham College, Richmond, IN; M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education, Oberlin College, OH.

Professional Experience:  Third Grade Teacher's Assistant, Chicago International Charter School, IL; Kindergarten Assistant, Rosemary Kindergarten, Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School; Student Teacher in Kindergarten and First Grade, Oberlin City Schools, OH.

I feel so honored and delighted to be returning to Pleasant Ridge as a teacher.  Through many different educational experiences I have come to see that who I am as a learner and as a teacher is deeply rooted in my formative experience as a student at Pleasant Ridge.  I am here to respect and cultivate the gifts that each child holds and to aid my students in their development as well-rounded, joyful, imaginative, thoughtful and kind individuals.


Barbara Danner - Class Five Teacher
Education:  B.A. in Theatre Arts, Marquette University; Waldorf Teaching Certificate, UWM.  Core Synchronism Training (1-3); Non-Violent Comm. Mentoring with John Cunningham; Speech Formation work w/ Pownall, Steinrueck & Garvey; 3rd Grade Intensive; 2nd Grade Intensive; Werbeck Singing w/ Ursula Koepf; Professional Actor Training, ACT, San Francisco, CA.

Professional Experience:  Substitute Teacher, Tamarack & Prairie Hill Waldorf Schools; Director, Holiday Drama Workshop in E. Troy/Pewaukee; Director, Aurora School; Class Teacher (1-3) Prairie Hill Waldorf School; Handwork Teacher, Urban Waldorf School; Asst. Kindergarten Teacher, Prairie Hill Waldorf School.  Adjunct Faculty, Great Lakes Teacher Training & Lifeways Early Childhood Training.


Carrie Treviranus - Class Six Teacher
Education:  Bachelor of Music, Northwestern University, 2001; Waldorf Teacher Certification, Great Lakes Waldorf Institute, Pewaukee, WI (2008-present); Art of Teaching Grades 4-6, Rudolf Steiner College, Fair Oaks, CA (2010-12).

Professional Experience:  Kindergarten Asst. and Pre-Kindergarten Asst., Tamarack Waldorf School, Milwaukee, WI; Singer and actor, (Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Soulstice Theatre).  Worked in bicycle retail for 15 years in sales, buying and corporate office.



Aaron Schmidt - Class Seven Teacher
Education:  B.A. in Liberal Studies, Concentration in Elementary Education & Earth Science, Cal State Northridge, CA. Waldorf Institute of Southern California, Class Teacher Preparation.

Professional Experience:  Class Teacher, Substitute Teacher/Coordinator, Sports Coach at Highland Hall Waldorf School, Northridge, CA.  Scenic Artist: preparation of sets for music videos, film and television.









Jackie Kolenko - Class Eight Teacher
Education:  B.A. Fine Arts, U.W. Oshkosh; Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy and the Arts, Sophia Institute, WI; Fundamentals in Waldorf Education, Grades 1-3, Rudolf Steiner Institute, Fair Oaks, CA; Essentail Grades Conferences with Eugene Schwartz, Grade 4-6, PA & CO; The Art of Teaching Grade 7 Conference, Tornoto Waldorf School, Canada; " How to Bring Shakespeare to Adolescents" Workshop, American Players Theatre, Srping Green, WI; TEFL training through Associazione Culturale Linguistica Educational, Sanremo, Italy.

Professional Experience: Class Teacher, Grades 1-8, Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School; Fiber Arts & Life Skills Teacher, Youth Initiative High School; musician, actress and dancer; Teacher of dance and guitar lessons; Summer camp English Tutor in Milan, Italy.

What a gift Waldorf Education provides for the child to discover who she is at a gradual pace.  A teacher must learn the art of cultivating patience, respect, creativity, wisdom, gratitude and wonder within her, as well as in the children, as she grows with them year to year.  I strive to offer guidance as the children awaken to themselves and encourage them to express their gifts creatively, freely and gracefully.  I seek to have open and honest relationships with the parents.  Learn, Love, Grow...and have fun while doing it all!







Specialty Teachers

Nannette Tuttle - Handwork

Education: Attended Handwork Training at Sunbridge College, Spring Valley, NY In the Waldorf curriculum, handwork unites the thinking, feeling and willing life of the child.

As a handwork teacher, I would like to bring to children the pleasure of creating something beautiful with their own hands.







Annette Conlon - Eurythmy Teacher, Classes K-8

Education:   Studied Liberal Arts at Heidelberg and Frankfort Universities; Curative Education degree from Lebensgemeinshaft, Bingenheim, Germany; Eurythmy Training, Dormach Eurythmy School; Curative Eurythmy Training, Stuttgart, Germany.

Professional Experience:  Guest teacher, Eurythmy (Grade 8, K), Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School; Teacher: Eurythmy, Music, German (Grades 1&2) Atlanta Waldorf School; Eurythmy therapist, Lebensgemeinshaft, Bingenheim, Germany; Eurythmy therapist, Clinic Herdecke, Germany.



Lerie Alstad Van Ells - Physical Education
Education: Five-year study in Spatial Dynamics for Physical Education in Waldorf Schools with Jaimen McMillan.

I am drawn to Waldorf teaching because I believe in keeping alive the spirit that lives in childhood. My goal in teaching has been to create for every child an inner joy in movement.






Monika Sutherland - Music Teacher &
Faculty Chair
Education: BA music, Indiana University; MA music, Northwestern University; Suzuki teaching certification.

Professional Experience: Active performer and teacher in Chicago, Baltimore and Japan; member of music faculty, Goucher College; Director Strings Program, Four Winds Waldorf School.

I am grateful for the opportunity to teach an instrument that I love in a school that values music so highly and amongst a staff that is so supportive and dedicated. In my class I hope to give the students a sense of how music can be fun, joyful and a satisfying part of daily life, as both a means of expressing individuality and as a way to work together in a group and community.


Kristina Gullion - Violin Teacher

Education: BA and MA music, Indiana University

Professional Experience: violinist with the Orquest Sinfonica de Galicia, Brooklyn Philharmonic. Teacher in Chicago.










Kate Bergan - Spanish Teacher,  Classes 1-8

Education: B.A. in Spanish, History, History of Culture, University of WI-Madison; Certificate of Environmental Studies, UW-Madison; semester abroad at Spanish American Institute of International Education, Seville, Spain; Center for Anthroposophy in Wilton, NH:
World Languages: Grades 1,2, and 3.

Professional Experience: Substitute Spanish teacher, Youth Initiative High School, Viroqua, WI; Spanish teacher, Padua Franciscan High School, Cleveland, OH; junior high and high school English and Spanish teacher, Atlanta, MO school district; ESL/SSL teacher in grades 1-8, InterAmerican School, Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic









Enrollment

Maureen Karlstad - Enrollment Coordinator
Education: B.A. American Studies, Miami University, Elementary Education, University of North Dakota; Teaching Grades 1,2,3 Rudolf Steiner College; Fundamentals of Waldorf Education I,II, & III, Rudolf Steiner Institute; Teaching Grades 4, 5, &6, Sunbridge College; Working with Adolescents, Gradales Intitute;  Science in the Upper Grades, Center for Anthroposophy; Essentail Grades 1 and 3 Conferences with Eugene Schwartz; Social Incusion workshop with Kim Payne.

Professional Experience: Teaching Asst., College of Teaching and Learing, U of N. Dakota; Special Education Teacher, Emotional Disturbance Program, Richland School District, Richland Center, WI; Class Teacher, Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School, grades 1 through 8, Classes of 2001 & 2010; Potter & Founding Member of VIVA (Viroqua Independent Visual Artists), a cooperative artists' gallery.

In Waldorf teaching I find a reverence for the spirituality of everyday life that is enlivening and that grounds me deeply in my work. At Pleasant Ridge I have found a community of devoted and hardworking people who continually inspire me. I am grateful to be a part of such a wonderfully challenging community.



Parent-Child Program