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Address
Russel Hall
1000 Sanger Avenue
Suite 300, Oceanport
NJ 07757, USA
Phone: (732) 842-1660
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Lower School – K To 2nd Grade
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Meet The Team
Ashley Shea
Teacher/Researcher
Ashley’s love for teaching was sparked while working as a substitute teacher at a head start preschool program following her graduation from high school. She earned her Associate’s Degree in early childhood education at Brookdale Community College. Ashley then went on to study education at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in early and elementary education. There she completed a teaching internship at a Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool and served as a student teacher in a third-grade classroom.
While in Vermont, Ashley connected with nature and the outdoors. She spent her off time hiking and snowboarding. During this time she spent three weeks hiking the Long Trail. Being absorbed in nature fostered Ashley’s interest in outdoor education. From then on she knew she wanted to be a teacher of alternative learning. Ashley is also passionate about mindfulness and yoga. In Vermont, she attended a 4-month meditation program; she is currently enrolled in yoga teacher training. Ashley is excited to bring her knowledge and interests into the classroom and continue to learn and grow while supporting and mentoring her students.
Anna Meyers
Teacher/Researcher
Anna is a lifelong learner who has always been in search of progressive and innovative ways to educate herself and others. She received her B.A in Liberal Arts in 2011 from St. John’s College in Annapolis. Her time enrolled in the Great Books program at St. John’s allowed her to see and experience the wonder of the socratic seminar and the beauty of building equality between learners as they approach a common text together. A love of great books and great conversations continues to bring joy to her life.
For the past decade, Anna has been working in education. She lived for two years in an intentional life sharing community and school in Southern England where individuals with and without cognitive disability could learn and grow together. While there, she learned the importance of handwork, gardening, movement and art as vital to the education of the whole person. After returning to the United States and settling in Phoenix, Arizona, she taught middle school at a classically inspired preparatory school before finding her place in a Montessori classroom. Through Montessori education, Anna fell in love with the genius of the mixed age classroom. Her classroom was built on trust, peace, inclusion and allowing students to follow their own interests. She gained an AMS Montessori elementary teaching certificate through the Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative in Lexington, Massachusetts in 2019. She has finally returned to the Jersey Shore where she grew up and is excited to continue her journey of learning and exploring with the Voyagers Community.
Anna is a mother of two young daughters and loves bearing witness to their own unfolding curiosity about the world. She believes firmly that all children are capable, deserving, and complete and feels privileged to be able to support children in their individual journeys. In her free time, Anna loves working in fiber arts, reading poetry and spending time in nature.
“How much fuller and richer life would be if we saw the child in all his greatness, all his beauty, instead of focusing on all his little mistakes.” -Maria Montessori