Jeannie grew up in a small coastal town in southern Maine, where she discovered her passion for the outdoors. She spent endless hours exploring the natural areas around her home, playing outside during all seasons of weather in forests, marshes, freshwater lakes, and beaches where she lived. In high school, she moved to Oregon and completed a degree in fine arts at Portland State University. She went on to pursue a career in graphic design, marketing, and advertising to gain experience in the field. 

Jeannie’s path to becoming a teacher started as an active parent volunteer at her local cooperative preschool where her two children attended. Working alongside an experienced preschool teacher, she learned about classroom management, curriculum planning, and how to support young children in a social and emotional environment. She went on to teach in both Reggio Emilia and Waldorf-inspired preschools and kindergartens and pursued education to support her new teaching career. She attended PSU once again to study Early Childhood Education and later started the Waldorf Early Childhood program at the Sophia Institute. Jeannie and her family have been members and long-time parent volunteers in the Swallowtail community for the past 13 years, as her children attended school here, and she joined the Early Childhood program in 2020. 

In 2022, Jeannie became the lead teacher in the Butterfly Kindergarten where she was able to apply her deep love and inspiration for early childhood education in a meaningful way. She is once again returning to be the lead teacher in the Dragonfly Kindergarten.

Jeannie lives with her husband, Karl, and two children, Acadia and Reed, plus animals on their large family farm in Forest Grove. She spends as much time in nature as she can to rejuvenate her spirit and to share her love of the outdoors with her students. As an artist, she is living her dream of growing flowers and making dried arrangements. Her passion for arts and crafts is a gift she strives to inspire in her students. 

Jeannie continues to develop her professional skills, refining her knowledge of Waldorf pedagogy and early childhood development. This past year she studied Extra Lesson at Waldorf Learning Support and the foundations of healing art therapy at the Bay Area Waldorf training center.  She is currently enrolled in the Great Lakes Waldorf Teacher training program to complete her certificate in Early Childhood.