Alyssa Unger
Founder / Director & Teacher
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
- Confucius
I feel so fortunate to be working with such creative, enthusiastic and kind children. It takes a village to raise a child and I am happy to be part of the homeschooling village supporting your child any way I can. In case you are curious, here is a little bit about myself.
I was born in small town Ohio and loved being outdoors in nature, hanging out with and observing all sorts of plants and animals. When I was indoors, I was baking, playing piano, crafting and creating. My teaching style reflects these loves and helps me to connect with my sweet students. I am a hands-on, discovery type of learner and I enjoy bringing that love of discovery and creating things out in my students. I also get great pleasure out of helping them stretch academically and build their "I can" attitude.
In my early years of teaching I taught resource children 2nd-6th grade honing my understanding of how kids learn. Next, I taught 5th grade in El Segundo. After taking a few years off to care for my two young sons, I started volunteering and then teaching at my children's preschool. Manhattan Beach Nursery School really helped me and my family learn how to effectively communicate using non-violent communication. (For more on this approach, see recommended resources).
When my youngest was 5, I went back to school, to train as a Waldorf Teacher. Two years later I happily took the 5th grade lead teacher position at Ocean Charter Waldorf School in Culver City. My children joined me at this great school. Looking for something closer and more part-time, fortune smiled upon me again and I partnered with Dana at Creative Minds Center from 2014 to 2017.
In the fall of 2017 I founded along with Genevieve Land, Golden Star Educational Services as a CA non profit learning center. Our hopes are to create a wonderful learning environment where children can grow.
My greatest pleasure is seeing the" light bulb go off for a student and their big smiles as they accomplish things they didn't think they could do. I love supporting the wonderful DVIA families, various area Charters, and general homeschooling families. Our enthusiastic, bright staff makes my days a joy and I am forever grateful for the students whose bright souls who come my way!