 Master teacher, holds a B.S.
in Education from Northern Arizona University. She has
been sharing her joy of teaching children and adults for
the past 25 years in her travels from Alaska to Arabia. The
arctic experience fueled a great love of the outdoors with
a simple subsistence life-style and a love of nature that
is brought into the curriculum with literature and song. Immersion
in desert-dwelling Arabian life has stretched the envelope
of western ego-centric culture and has brought a tradition
of warmth and hospitality to Elynne’s classroom. She
has been a presenter at the Colorado Science Teacher’s
Convention and presented a workshop on Worldwide Acid Rain
at the Near and Far-East Teacher’s Conference in
Bangkok, Thailand. As an environmental science curriculum
writer, an early childhood educator, a math teacher, an
artist with a strong geological connection, a traveler,
music maker, puppeteer and storyteller, Elynne brings
her love and enthusiasm for life and learning to her class
of Rocky Mountain School students. She has been married
to Lloyd for 30 years and they have two sons Brendan and
Lance, both of whom were born while their parents were
teaching in Saudi Arabia. Brendan and Lance are both
engaged in military careers.
When asked to describe her teaching philosophy, Elynne says “Let
there be joy in learning! As a teacher my vision is to offer
a stimulating, supportive, non-competitive environment to
children. The classroom is a place where students take ownership
not only of the physical space but of fostering a nurturing
place for all within its walls. I offer a seed or a spark
of information to a community of learners. The mind of a
child first assimilates and then moves into creative expression
to implement and communicate ideas. Children learn best when
learning is kept whole and meaningful and there is ownership
in application. Young children begin with their home and
school environment and expand their knowledge to neighborhood,
city, state and world. In each area the child is discovering
how they fit in relation to others, what ideals are important
to them, what impact they can have on available resources
and how far reaching their understanding of other cultures
can go. Exploring the world through the rich legacy
of literature, mathematics and natural science meets my goal
to foster the growth and development of confident children
instilled with compassion, the ability to think creatively,
and excitement in continued learning.”
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