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Leigh Ashbrook was born and raised in Philadelphia, and spent numerous happy hours exploring the Wissahickon Valley as a child. Leigh attended Temple University where she earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology, focusing on human biology and how human behavior affects the environment in which we live. Because of her interest in ecology and the natural world, following her graduation from Temple, Leigh served as a "naturalist intern" at SCEE, then called the Schuylkill Valley Nature Center. Her internship at "SVNC" cemented her commitment to working with children in environmental education. After teaching first and second grade classes at The Miquon School for 20 years, where she incorporated environmental studies across the curriculum, Leigh completed her master's degree in environmental education from Arcadia University. Leigh then focused her teaching with children on the sciences and the environment, teaching part-time at SCEE and Philadelphia University, and then teaching 4th grade at Green Woods Charter School. Leigh is now a full-time environmental educator at The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, teaching environmental labs with Kathleen Geist in the middle school, serving as liaison between SCEE and Arcadia University and coordinating the SCEE Bird Club activities.
Teaching at both The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and Green Woods Charter School is like a dream come true for me. I relish each day in which I have the opportunity to teach and learn from children as they interact with the natural world, to see the world with their sense of wonder and appreciation.
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| WHAT
IT'S LIKE TO TEACH AT GREEN WOODS |
| Teaching at both The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and Green Woods Charter School is like a dream come true for me. I relish each day in which I have the opportunity to teach and learn from children as they interact with the natural world, to see the world with their sense of wonder and appreciation.
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Jean Wallace, Academic Director
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As the Academic Director and CEO, Jean is responsible for guiding the design and implementation of our award-winning curriculum and for supporting the direction of all areas of school life. Jean works in collaboration with our staff, Board, community and educational partners to build on our successful past toward an even greater future.
Charter schools are public schools. As such Jean is accountable to the Department of Education for ensuring that our students are receiving a standards-based learning experience from qualified teachers within the guidelines and mandates of Federal, State, and Charter School Law. In addition to the many responsibilities associated with curriculum and instruction, Jean supports Green Woods through successful grant writing, ongoing website communication, mentoring our Jr. School Leadership Team mediation team, and by networking with key partners from within and outside the Green Woods community.
As a member of the Governor's Council for Environmental Education, Jean works with many of the State's environmental experts and agencies. "By working collaboratively with the Department of Education and the outstanding environmental agencies throughout our state, Green Woods is able to gain both valuable resources along with well-deserved local, state and national recognition for the exceptional work being done by our teachers and students," Jean said.
In addition to the daily interactions with Green Woods dedicated staff and parents, Jean enjoys those rare and special times when she gets to trail along on hikes with our budding naturalists. "Hiking with even our youngest students and seeing how they interact with the natural world always presents a wonderful learning opportunity for me. While many young children enjoy walking in the woods, Green Woods students are skilled observers, able to take in the big picture of the field ecosystem while at the same time patiently exploring the leaf litter in search of the smallest signs of life."
Jean currently holds four Pennsylvania education certifications: Principal K-12, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, K-12 Environmental Education, and Elementary Education. She earned her post-graduate certifications and her MAEd in Environmental Education from Arcadia University, a BA in Elementary Education from Beaver College, and an Associate Degree in Health Science from Gwynedd Mercy College.
Jean lives with her husband Frank, her mom Mary, her daughter Mary who is a senior at the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University, and their lovable black lab, Murphy. |
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| WHAT IT'S
LIKE TO TEACH AT GREEN WOODS |
Each day is a new day of exploration and discovery as we challenge each other to provide the best possible learning environment for our students.
In less than four years time our amazing teaching staff has taken teaching and learning to a whole new level. Working in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, our teachers, themselves, developed our K-8 award-winning EIC Curriculum which engages our students in integrated learning experiences that span all disciplines. Utilizing our 350-acre learning laboratory as an outdoor classroom, our partnership with the Schuylkill Center continues to grow and thrive as the Center’s expert educators spend many hours working with our classroom teachers to enhance the teaching of environment and ecology concepts.
Green Woods is the only public/charter school in the entire country to be housed directly within a nature center. Years ago I earned my graduate degree by utilizing this same setting as a laboratory for learning. It is so rewarding to now spend time observing our students as they explore and discover new things while hiking in the same woods where I learned so much about the natural world.
The Department of Education challenges Charter Schools to be innovative and to serve as models for traditional public schools. Through the development and implementation of an innovative, standards-based curriculum, and by using sound instructional practices, our teachers have not only met that challenge but far exceeded the expectations of both the School District of Philadelphia and the State Department of Education. It is extremely rewarding to be part of such a successful student-centered learning environment. We are constantly re-examining what we do and how we do it in order to best meet the needs of our students. |
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Her Now! |
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