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Teacher Profiles |
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Mr. Nick Ratcliff
Mr. Ratcliff is from Oakland, California. Before serving as a reading consultant for school districts all over the country Mr. Ratcliff hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Mexico to Canada. Other than specializing in literacy instruction, Mr. Ratcliff is trained in Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, victim-offender mediation, and Philosophy for Children - a critical thinking program promoted by the U.N.
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Mrs. Lisa Dawn
Mrs. Lisa Dawn comes to WCCS with a variety of teaching experiences. She has taught in high school, middle school and elementary school environments. She also enjoys teaching English to her ‘big kids’ at Yavapai College. She has the unique experience of understanding where her students begin as readers and writers and where she’d like to see them end up. This full circle experience has been both rewarding and eye-opening. She is currently very interested in learning more about evaluating students’ reading and writing skills in order to meet each and every student’s language art needs on an individual basis. Mrs. Dawn believes that every student that walks into her class has the ability to read, write and think critically. Mrs. Dawn believes discovering how to tap into each student’s innate ability to progress academically, socially and emotionally is an exciting and challenging opportunity.
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Mrs. Kimberly Leazier
Kimberly Leazier comes to Willow Creek Charter School from Niceville, Florida where she taught preschool for several years. She has also taught 6th grade in Rio Rancho, NM and Gilbert, AZ. Mrs. Leazier has her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education which she earned from the University of New Mexico in 1997. She enjoyed being able to spend several years at home raising her two sons. Mrs. Leazier believes in giving children a voice in the learning process and assists them in finding connections in the curriculum with their own life and interests. She believes every child has the potential to make a difference within our society and to grow as individuals. Mrs. Leazier’s goal for her students is to provide them with a fun, challenging and rewarding learning experience.
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Mrs. Beverly Bean
Mrs. Beverly Bean has been a teacher at Willow Creek Charter
since its inception. She earned a degree in Animal Health technology and then
received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona
University in 1996. Mrs. Bean is a long time resident of Prescott. She and her
husband moved here in 1980 and have raised their three children in the area. Her
love of animals and children made Willow Creek Charter the ideal school for her
talents. She has a warm, gentle manner that fosters a structured and challenging
learning environment. Mrs. Bean strives to make learning an adventure.
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Mrs. Tamara Robinson
Mrs. Tamara Robinson grew up in Bath, Ohio and received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She has a wealth of teaching experience, both public and private, in grades pre-school through high school; the longest stint being fifth grade at a private school. Mrs. Robinson has a minor in mathematics and truly enjoys making math interesting, learnable, and even fun. Her interests go beyond math into all core subjects and include outdoor education and the arts. Her educational philosophy is one with a humanistic touch where she believes in the whole child and wishes to impart a love of learning for the children to transfer into lifelong skills of learning, exploring and socializing. Her classroom has been described as one with respect, care, challenge, and concrete expectations. Mrs. Robinson employs a variety of teaching styles she has gathered from her 26 years of teaching in order to successfully reach a variety of learning styles. Mrs. Robinson has been teaching in the Prescott area since she moved to Arizona in 1994 with her daughter Emma. She loves her family and she loves to teach.
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Ms. Jill Bluhm
Ms. Bluhm is a graduate of both Point Park College with a B.A. in theater arts and La Roche College with a certificate to teach elementary education. Ms. Bluhm has worked with children from 5 months to 18 years of age. She has worked at the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge in Yuma, AZ removing invasive species and supervising college-age interns. She has also done work with inner-city high school students to repair and complete construction in one of Pittsburgh’s city parks. Ms. Bluhm draws from her many experiences to provide her students with a diverse and well-developed curriculum where they will each grow to become well-rounded, critical thinkers.
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Mrs. Terese Soto
Mrs. Terese Soto earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from
Moorhead State University in Minnesota in 1982 and her K-12 Art Endorsement in
1990. She has been teaching since 1985 and in the tri-city area since 1988. Her
teaching experience includes teaching K, 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th grade classrooms,
7th grade American History, 7th-8th grade Wood Shop, 8th grade At Risk Students
and K-8 Fine Arts. Mrs. Soto has been teaching at Willow Creek Charter since its
inception. She was instrumental in creating the curriculum for the Fine Arts
Program, which includes visual arts, theater, music and movement. She has also
handled discipline for the school since the 2000-2001 school year.Mrs. Soto has seen many changes in the Educational System and one common thread that stays consistent in her mind is that education is all about the children. Throughout her career, her dedication, determination, and creativity have inspired countless individuals.
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Mr. Jeff Jordan
Mr. Jeff Jordan is our Level 5 Instructor teaching 7th and 8th Grades.
Mr. Jeff Jordan was born in S. California. Jeff grew up on family ranch (Rancho Romero) a 4000 acre cattle ranch north of Tucson. Jeff finished his last two years of high school and completed most of his undergrad work up in Oregon. Jeff opted for a career in Education after a motorcycle accident limited his eligibility for a career in Law Enforcement. Mr. Jordan has taught full time at a public school in Medford , OR , and two districts down in Tucson . Jeff enjoys lots of interaction with his students and urges discourse. Jeff's favorite topics are Mathematics, European History, and Psychology. Mr. Jordan's students at WCC have impressed him with their ability to use logic and reason in class discussions. Jeff encourages his students to have challenging conversations and debates in the classroom.
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Mrs. Shannon Lynch
Shannon Lynch received her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal
Studies and Sociology at Northern Arizona University. She went on to get her
post-degree dual teaching certification in Elementary and Special Education,
concurrently earning a Masters in Special Education. Throughout her college
years, she was employed in elementary and special education classrooms of
varying ages. Her philosophy lies in encouraging the development of each
student's unique strengths as well as fostering a safe environment in which to
overcome individual challenges. She also strives to integrate the arts
throughout her curriculum and nurture an enthusiasm for learning in her
students.
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Mr. Eddie Hernandez
Eddie P. Hernández,M.S.Spec.Ed., is originally from N.J. and is of Colombian descent. He is a former U.S. Marine and former professional soccer player with the San Diego Sockers. He has also represented the All-Marine Soccer team and the U.S. National Futsal(indoor soccer) team. Mr. Eddie holds an Associate degree, Bachelors Degree, a Master of Science in Special Education and is currently certified with a Cross-Categorical certification in Special Education, K-12. He has been teaching for a little over 8 years in just about every level of Special Education from Direct Care to establishing a Special Needs school as School Director/Head Special Education Teacher. Mr. Eddie has taught multi-subject curriculum, personally developed curriculum and mentored youths. He has mentored and coached a wide array of students and youths of different socio-economic status, multi-diagnosed disabilities and on a private individualized/tutorial basis. Mr. Eddie takes pride in being in the field of changing lives, with his rich background, experience and culture, he will continue to do so learning and growing more from those he teaches and collaborates with.
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