Art of Homeschooling Studio

Jean Miller

As the homeschooling mother of three grown children, Jean has loved sharing stories through the years – reading, telling, and dramatizing stories. Over almost 25 years of homeschooling, she’s savored the stories as the vehicle for teaching new content and all of the creative ways of combining stories with the lively arts. Plus of course time outdoors and circles of song and movement. Jean spends her time these days mentoring  parents at Art of Homeschooling.

Barbara Dewey

Barbara of Waldorf Without Walls has consulted with homeschooling families throughout the world, written many guides and publications, and provided training workshops for Waldorf homeschoolers. She spends her spare time enjoying her unique solar home, and developing her farmland. Barbara, a Master Gardener, and her husband Quimby, a Forest Entomologist, lead workshops and field days on the environment and backyard food production. She is the mother of four, grandmother to six, and great-grandmother to two. Barbara holds an M.S. in Waldorf education from the Waldorf Institute of Sunbridge College in Spring Valley, NY. She's been teaching in various settings since 1960. 

Rebecca Christie

Rebecca has always had a passion for numbers, patterns, sequences, and art. A former Industrial Engineer turned homeschooling mom of four, she found the one course she never had the opportunity to take in school, “The Art of Math, the Math of Art," inside the Waldorf curriculum! She will integrate the lively arts into math and science and also give you lots of tips on combining lessons for multiple grade levels.

When not homeschooling, Rebecca volunteers at the local food pantry and coordinates the pantry’s holiday program.  She also hosts a parent discussion group at her church and teaches faith formation classes, both influenced by Waldorf ideas.  She enjoys yoga and traveling with her family.

Jodie Mesler

Jodie of Living Music is a multi-instrumentalist, a private music teacher for over 20 years, and founder of livingmusic.net where she has created books and courses for Waldorf homeschool families. She has been on the Taproot team for 9 years, weaving music throughout many of the magical camp moments. 

Her musical journey has included: being part of a blues rock band with her husband, director of a flute choir, a bass player/keyboardist for her church, a guitarist and singer in her family band, called Colorful Bones. She is excited to present her upcoming release this spring, Memories and Dreams, her 9th album, including 2 songs written at Taproot.

Jodie homeschooled her three children, during their early years while continuing to live the Waldorf lifestyle even after her kids transitioned to public school. She and her husband, Brian, have been married for 28 years. They are enjoying their empty nest, bitter but sweet.

Sarah Jean Etheridge

Sarah is a homeschooling mother of four with a degree in Elementary Education with Reading Endorsement. She has many years of teaching experience in early childhood, cooperative, and home education settings.  Sarah has been a Waldorf-inspired homeschooler for seventeen years. And she seeks inspiration from sustainable living, fresh air, homegrown food, creative work and play, so many books, and her dear sweet pets.    

Alison Manzer

Taproot, Waldorf-inspired homeschooling, and working together with Jean have been a very big part of Alison’s life for many years. Their collaborations continue to help her grow as an educator. Alison's workshops with Jean will focus on her very favorite things - books - and how to use them as "main lesson containers." She recently taught English, History, and yoga at Fusion Academy, an alternative high school. Currently, she facilitates a literature-based Reading Circle for homeschooled teens. She also serves as the president of the Little Angels Service Team, a non-profit whose mission is to uplift through education by supporting struggling students and teachers in rural India.