West teaches 3rd grade Rainbow community school in Asheville. West first became interested in teaching while working with children in environmental education centers and camps. Her own love of the natural world and her joy in sharing this world with children inspired her to pursue a teaching career that used “nature’s theater” as a primary learning environment. As a lifelong learner herself, West is excited about fostering lifelong learners who come to understand, through a process of experiential discovery, their connection to themselves, their community and the natural world around them. She strongly believes that direct experience is the primary stepping stone to understanding. When she is not opening the wooded, leafy doors of her students imaginations, West can be found hiking or mountain biking, rock climbing with her husband, and exploring the forest in search of insects, birds, mushrooms and other natural wonders to share with her students. Or perhaps just listening to the wild music of the forest and its rocky mountain streams.
Please enjoy this one-hour podcast where West shares her passion for exploring the many wonders of nature with children.
Living Well with West Willmore Dickinson on AshevilleFM, February 17, 2014
