If you talk to Donna for more than a few minutes, you can tell she began her teaching career on the East Coast -- over 30 years ago in Washington, D.C. She and her family moved to Seattle in 2001, and she has worked in many SPS programs over the past 15+ years. Donna currently supports students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) at Wedgwood, helping them to access general education, grade level curriculum.
When not in the classroom, Donna loves to spend time with her 3 adult children, to dig in her garden, and to wander the Wedgwood neighborhood.
I am excited to work together this year and to discover how to best support your Wedgwood Marmot!
Teacher Sam enjoys hiking, reading, games (both video and board), participating in social justice movements, and cooking. Their 5th grade class is filled with music, tough questions, bright colors, comic books, and laughter.
Sam grew up in Clearview, WA and now lives in Seattle. They started teaching in SPS during the 2016-17 school year. They studied community education models at Hampshire College, graduating in 2010 and received their Masters in Teaching from Antioch College in 2016.
I am overjoyed to work in such a wonderful educational community. I hope I can send my 5th graders off to middle school with a love of learning and critical thinking skills. Let's have some educational fun!
Pronouns: They/Them
By stating my pronouns clearly, I hope to create space for others to share theirs, creating a more inclusive environment and culture for my learning community.
I attended Drew University in NJ and then moved to Seattle. After working in a day care for a year I knew that I wanted to work and teach children. So, I went to Western Washington University to obtain my certificate and have been teaching in Seattle for 19 years. Many of my years were spent as an Instructional Specialist helping students with reading and mathematics. Last year, I moved to first-grade and I love it!
Personal Message
I love teaching and working with Elementary students. I wake up every day excited and enthused to go to work. Honestly, there is nothing else that I would rather do.
I also enjoy playing the drums, swimming, and spending time with my family.
I am privileged as a West Virginia steeltown boy to work at the best school in the state of Washington. I am further humbled as I have the unique and challenging task of working with kids from all over the world from about 30 countries. I am grateful for my wonderful staff and administration who are compassionate, dedicated, groundbreaking leaders of public education and social justice.
Education: Boston University, BA; George Washington University, MEd; Seattle University, MLL certification
How I Got Into Education: I have always enjoyed working with kids and love the energy they bring to school. During college, I interned with a program called Peace Games and taught conflict resolution classes to elementary school students. Later, after working as a job coach for adults with developmental disabilities, I knew I wanted to work with this population at a younger stage in their education. These two experiences led me to my career as a Special Education Teacher.
Education: Christopher Newport University, B.A. English Literature; Middlebury College, M.A. English Literature
How I Got Into Education: I was working as a “Test Electrician” at a shipyard in Virginia in February 2007, checking work and helping fix mistakes. One of the electricians I was working with told me I should teach. I started taking college classes that summer.
