The Rainbow Mountain Preschool Staff
Judith Beers, Preschool Lead Teacher
Judith Beers has been teaching in preschools for more than 26 years and over 15 years teaching at Rainbow Mountain. Judith has been in the role of Preschool Director for over four years. She has a Bachelors Degree in Speech and Hearing and has her Montessori Teaching Credential for ages 3 through 6.
Judith started her career as a speech therapist but fell in love with early childhood education while visiting friends who had a preschooler. She was captivated by the enthusiasm and open-heartedness of their lively 3-year-old child. Wanting more of this “magic” in her life, Judith went on to pursue Montessori training.
Many years later, Judith still delights in her students energy and enthusiasm. She loves helping them explore and name their feelings, and she encourages them to use their words in daily interactions with peers and adults. Judith works very hard to create a classroom that supports clear and intentional communication. She enjoys watching her students develop their communication skills and learn to solve their own problems.
Judith’s favorite time of day is circle time, when everyone gathers to share and learn in community. But, she knows that much of her students’ learning occurs organically during unexpected moments throughout the day. This realization helps keep her grounded in the present as it unfolds with all of its surprises and mysteries.
When she is not in the classroom, Judith loves to dance, garden, sew, hike, make books, stretch, nap and read. She also likes to make (and drink) homemade chai and is the proud mom of Grace, a 20-something-year-old political activist who is currently living in Brooklyn, NY.
Jessy Decker Tickle, Preschool Lead Teacher
Jessy Tickle has been teaching preschool at Rainbow Mountain for more than 14 years and received her early childhood certification in 2011. She studied art and education for 3 years at Warren Wilson College, and she has taken courses in early childhood education at Western Carolina University and AB Tech Community College.
As a child, Jessy always envisioned herself as a teacher but also loved artistic expression. When she first went to college, she felt torn between education and art. Education eventually won out when a friend suggested that teaching at Rainbow Mountain would be a great way to pursue both loves.
Jessy is passionate about helping her children articulate their needs, think for themselves and make wise community-based choices. She believes this approach gives her students the gift of clear and respectful communication; a gift that they can use throughout their lives.
Her favorite time of day is centering, when students are invited to offer appreciations for each other. She loves watching individual children progress from shyness to superficial compliments to genuine recognitions of their classmates strengths and kindness. Jessy also enjoys their morning yoga time.
When Jessy is not sharing art, stories, bubbles and hugs with her children, she grabs her favorite dance partner, her husband, and they swing, tango, waltz, zydeco, and salsa. Jessy also loves bookmaking, drawing, rubber-stamping, photography, reading, collecting faeries and playing with her two crazy cats.
Jessica Redford, Preschool Lead Teacher
Jessica Redford has a background in Montessori-based learning, and her credentials in early education. She also received a BA in Fine Art from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Jessica inherited a lifelong love of learning from her mother. “She taught me that the world is a wonderful, complicated and mysterious place and that you can’t just look at it once – or even a hundred times – and know it.” Already familiar with RMCS, Jessica was thrilled when the opportunity to join the community presented itself. “There is such a rich reserve of talented staff and parents here, and so much generosity at every turn.”
Jessica strives to make every child feel safe and loved in her classroom. She makes it a point to take the time to talk to – and connect with – each child personally when she first sees them in the morning. She embraces the idea that each child learns differently, especially at this early age, and is always looking for opportunities to encourage their exploration, and build their self-confidence. Jessica also enjoys sharing different world cultures with them through stories, myths, and celebrations. She believes in honoring the natural world around us, and encouraging a reverence for all life.
Jessica has a great love for the arts, and enjoys celebrating the creative impulse in the classroom. Her students learn about artists who have changed the world, and who struggled ceaselessly to share their point of view. They also learn “that we are all artists in the way we see and interpret our world.” Jessica’s own creative energy is always flowing, and ready to be tapped.
When she’s not in the classroom, Jessica loves to paint and create collages. She also enjoys reading and writing – both on her own and with her family. Jessica and Joe”s daughter, Harmony, is an elementary student at Rainbow Mountain.
Katie Waldowski, Preschool Teacher
Katie Waldowski received her BA in Anthropology and Women Studies from Cornell University and is working on completing her MA in Special Education at Western Carolina University. She has worked in preschool settings as an assistant and paraprofessional for 5 years and truly enjoys supporting preschoolers as they explore, imagine, create and grow.
Katie sees childhood as a special time that needs to be honored, protected and unhurried and, therefore, values learning environments that are creative, flexible and organized to teach to the whole child. Creative and imaginative play, daily rhythms and a home-like atmosphere are so important to early childhood education.
Furthermore, Katie believes that the seasons and environment offer their own curriculum and learning opportunities to the preschool classroom. Katie has attended trainings in Positive Discipline and Conscious Discipline and is always excited to learn more.
Prior to working in preschool classrooms, Katie worked in the fundraising departments at both an Environmental Education Children’s Museum and for the Sierra Club. Having lived in New York, Ohio, California, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Micronesia, Texas and American Samoa, Katie is content to finally have roots firmly placed in Asheville. Katie lives with her partner Mike, their two sons, Cadence and Phoenix and their three dogs. She spends her free time reading, playing with her children, enjoying nature, and scouting out the perfect farmhouse.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Kate Couture, Preschool After-School Lead Teacher
Kate studied Studio Art and Art History at Florida State University. She worked at a Reggio Emilia preschool in New Orleans and fell in love with the philosophy and working with young children. In 2010 Kate moved to Asheville and right away heard about the wonderful preschool program at Rainbow Mountain and within days was a substitute teacher at the school. Kate hopes to further her art education while incorporating her passion for working with young children by receiving her teaching license in Art Education.When she is not at school she enjoys running, cooking, taking her dogs on hikes, sewing and reading.
