Morning Glory | Dandelion | Sweet Pea
Lyra Matthews | Morning Glory Kindergarten Teacher
After earning her BA in Music, Lyra completed an MA in Education through the Antioch New England Graduate School, and a Waldorf Teaching Certificate through Antioch University. She also holds a CA Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Dominican University. She has nearly 18 years of Waldorf classroom teaching experience, from kindergarten through fifth grade. Before Woodland Star, Lyra taught at a Waldorf-inspired charter school in southern California for several years.
Lyra is blessed with the gift of music and singing and has a keen interest in the festivals of a Waldorf School. She has a love of crafts, projects, and creating artistic classroom environments of beauty for the children. She has a warm, kind, and loving nature that makes her students feel special and cared for. People that know her say her greatest gift is her ability to engage a class community so that every parent has an opportunity to contribute to the educational experience of her class.
Elizabeth Atwood | Dandelion Kindergarten Teacher
Elizabeth Atwood attended the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University and received a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Ecosystems. It took her almost five years of working within the sustainable food system sector before realizing her true gift and passion for Waldorf Education. Elizabeth is now an experienced Early Childhood Waldorf Educator with years of experience that include working for a Waldorf Charter School in Southern California where she served as the lead kindergarten teacher.
Elizabeth is an energetic and warm teacher with a passion for early childhood and enriching the lives of children through Waldorf pedagogy in a public school setting.
Jodi Buckles | Sweet Pea Kindergarten Teacher
Jodi received her BA in Journalism with Minors in Health Science and Dance from California State University, Chico, while also studying abroad in San Sebastián, Spain. She then completed her CA Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and is working towards her MA in Education from Dominican University of San Rafael. She has 9 years of teaching experience in both Kindergarten and First Grade, took time off to raise her own children, and has now found her love for the magic and wonder of Early Childhood Education.
Jodi is a proud Sonoma County native who taught locally at Sonoma Country Day School and The Healdsburg School, and is happy to now be immersed in a Waldorf setting. She has a loving, nurturing, playful approach with her students and values movement and outdoor play as vital in child development. She is the mother of four incredible children, and one Woodland Star student! In her free time, Jodi enjoys boating, hiking, camping, road trips with her family and photography.
