Staff

Nancy Chadwick

I am an educator and a mother of four. As a parent and as a teacher, I feel that the schools in general are failing to provide what our children need. Human beings are born with a natural love for learning, a thirst that if left intact will drive us to a lifetime of learning. The curiosity of a one-year-old is unstoppable! It only has to be encouraged and lifelong learning results.

I have always loved being with children and people in general. After a lifetime of educational experiences, I have come to believe that the main thing we need to do to facilitate learning is to get out of the way of the learner, and provide whatever resources are asked for. To give you a summary of my journey, I started with a bachelor's degree in education, specializing in early childhood education and language and learning disabilities. I am certified in elementary, early childhood, kindergarten, and special ed. After college I spent three years in Peru, becoming fluent in Spanish and gaining a global perspective. It was a life-changing experience! I worked in the public schools for a while in bilingual elementary education, early childhood, and special ed.

Starting a family of my own brought my focus to the youngest children, and I went back to school and got my certification in Montessori education for infants and toddlers. For twelve years I had the joy of being at home with my own children, homeschooling the older ones and running my own Montessori infant/toddler program in the home. It was a magical time of realizing how learning and living are naturally woven together.

Part of what was wonderful about those years was working in partnership with the parents of the children in my care. We discovered that by pooling our knowledge and experience, listening to each other, and supporting everyone, we were able to thoroughly enjoy the journey of parenting. And the children flourished!

Our children grew up and went to a Montessori school for their elementary education. I worked at the school for five years, directing the infant/toddler program there and helping with administrative tasks such as hiring and training teachers, providing programming for the parents, and running the office in the administrator's absence.

In the year 2000, I made the decision to return to my Vermont roots. My two youngest children and I are loving the lifestyle we find here in Central Vermont. We are excited to have the opportunity to be a part of Mirkwood School, where we will share the joy that comes from weaving living and learning together naturally, where students are able to discover in themselves the things that they feel passionately about, and where parents feel included in the circle of learning.

Ken Winchenbach Walden

Education has been a passion of mine for many years, and I am thrilled to be a part of Mirkwood School, where we can see the best of educational philosophy and ideas come together for the benefit of the students. My beliefs in learning have led me particularly to the study of free schools, and I bring passion for that style of learning to the school.

I attended a conventional public school and did well, graduating as a National Merit Scholar and with other honors. After high school I went on to study on my own, working on a farm, helping developmentally disabled adults, and attending an internship at a developing ecovillage. For six years I worked full-time as a tutor to high school and junior high school students, and learned quite a lot about the learning process and how to facilitate it, and also how to get out of its way. While tutoring helped to spark my passion for helping others to learn, it encouraged me to seek other ways to do so.

In being a part of Mirkwood School, my greatest interest is simply in helping learning to happen there. I personally enjoy highly integrated learning, weaving subjects together naturally. Some of the things I have a passion for are:

History, geography, and culture
Literature and reading
Mathematics
Philosophy
Science

Psychology, education, child-rearing
Computer use and technology
Writing: nonfiction, poetry, stories
Drama: play readings and productions
Agriculture and permaculture

Community Volunteers

Sue Morris

First and foremost, I am a mother of 5 and grandmother of 3.5 (due in August). I have unschooled my children since 1978 and would do it over again in a moment. While we interacted with other homeschoolers frequently, I wished it could have been more regular, hence my excitement about Mirkwood School.

I grew up in a politically active family and continue in that tradition in my adult life. As a young mother in New Jersey, I spent 12 years as a La Leche League leader, encouraging good mothering through breastfeeding. Later, as the Program Director for Upstate New York Girl Scouts, I organized workshops on dance, computers, wilderness survival, aquatic biology, canoeing, drama, geology, veterinary surgery, and gymnastics. Here in Vermont for the last 15 years, I have been active in civil rights and peace organizations. Most recently, I was active in the lobby for the Civil Union law and continue to participate as a Progressive activist for parenting concerns. Through it all, my children and I have been politically and electorally active.

I also grew up immersed in international folk dance. After receiving a bachelor's degree in Theater and Speech from Rutgers University, I taught folk dance at Castleton State College and in many elementary schools and community groups. I directed GALOPEDE, performing traditional New England dance with people of all ages. As director of InterFolk Festivals '92 and '94, I brought children's dance groups from Bulgaria, India, Japan, Mexico, and Russia to Vermont to live with and perform for local public school students. I was the director of Prance, Inc., sponsoring TEEN TWO-STEP, an amateur dance group of young adults aged 12-21. They choreographed their own dances and travelled abroad each year to perform in Russia, Costa Rica, Newfoundland, and England. In return, WORLDANCE brought young-adult dance groups from other nations to Vermont. As a member of The Green Mountain Volunteers, I performed contra, circle, and quadrille dance forms throughout New England, South America, Europe, and Canada. I have traveled extensively, especially throughout Latin America. I lived for a year in Chile during the Allende administration, and visited Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, and am conversant in Spanish.

Using experiences from earlier in our lives, my partner and I rehabilitated an old house for a low income family. Also, I have worked as a freelance editor and typist for all of my adult life. At present I am the Administrator for Meadowdance Community Group and kvell about the students in Mirkwood School.

Amanda Walden

I grew up on the seacoast of New Hampshire and graduated from UNH with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering. After graduating and getting married, my husband and I spent one of our most enjoyable summers taking groups of developmentally disabled adults on vacation. I then worked for a diagnostic instruments company doing technical support for 3 years before joining Meadowdance Community.

I've always enjoyed working with kids, through babysitting and working in an infant/toddler childcare center throughout my four years at UNH. My husband Ken and I are expecting our first child in July.

My interests include mathematics and how to work it into everyday life; playing games; and arts and crafts, which includes rubber stamping, decoupage, making jewelry, making candles, and sewing.

John Morris

I graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics. My passion is how things work and why. I love taking things apart and often manage to get them back together. I especially enjoy sharing my love of the physical world with the children. Presently I care for the cars and the buildings in Meadowdance Community and love to plan and build environmentally sensitive structures. I have participated in the rehabilitation of several buildings, and very much enjoy both the analytical and physical parts of that work. Alternative energy sources and walking lightly on the earth are important to me.

Another thing I very much enjoy is editing manuscripts. As Senior Editor in Wordsworth Typing and Editing Services, I get to read articles and books about a wide variety of subjects, and interact with their authors. As a computer geek, I also enjoy doing graphic design and technical work.

I'm a native New Englander, hailing from New Hampshire. I love to ski, both downhill and cross country and do other sports such as sledding, ice skating, biking, and running.

My partner and I enjoy dancing, designing new ideas together, and traveling to see her children.