I’m Issa Waters, founder of WonderWild. I’m the main grownup around here, wearing all the hats: administrative, financial, planning activities, day-to-day with the kids, maintaining our space, and more.
The vision for adults at WonderWild
All WonderWild staff enjoy time spent learning side-by-side with kids. We’re all experienced working with children, including neurodivergent kids and learners with special needs.
However, we’re not traditional teachers. For one thing, we are a little wild ourselves! You might find us digging in the dirt, painting at the easel, peering through a magnifying glass, or jumping on the trampoline.
We do the behind-the-scenes work prepping the curriculum, planning lessons, and setting up activities and experiments. But once the work of learning begins, we’re more like guides or mentors than instructors.
Grownup Responsibilities Include:
- Paying attention to each learner’s style, interests, strengths, and challenges so we can provide the personalized side-by-side assistance and inspiration they need.
- Helping kids clarify their goals, connect them with materials and resources, and facilitate access to information.
- Fostering an environment of collaboration and cooperation where we all work together to help each other meet our goals.
- Staying deeply committed to non-coercive, respectful relationships.
- Being curious, playful, and willing to learn, adapt, and grow alongside the children.
We’re Growing!
WonderWild has wildly grown this year! Come meet the two extra staff members on our crew:
Gage
GageGage is a young adult who brilliantly bridges the space between big kid and “responsible adult.” He previously worked in a Montessori classroom, and he was homeschooled himself.
He’s an older sibling of one of our enrollees, and he playfully fits right in with big energy games, art projects, and imaginative storytelling. He’s also a natural at finding quiet moments, like sitting with a learner to build with Legos or draw comics.
Ivy Wren
Ivy WrenIvy Wren is a homeschooling mom of three who believes learning should be meaningful, creative, and—most importantly—fun! She’s passionate about neurodiversity, mental health, and self-discovery. She believes there is more than one right way to learn and that some of the best learning happens when we follow our curiosity, get a little messy, ask questions, and have fun along the way.
For the past seven years, she has been teaching literature, art, mindfulness, and nature science to children of all ages through homeschool co-ops, the Boys & Girls Clubs, and teaching English online to students in China. She has taught children ages 3 and up in literature, art, mindfulness, and nature science, and has spent five years teaching English online to students in China.
A lifelong learner, Ivy loves bringing creativity, curiosity, and a little wonder into everything she does. She is a Certified Meditation Teacher, Sound Healing Practitioner, Therapeutic Art Coach, and Forest Bathing Guide, and enjoys helping people connect with themselves, each other, and the natural world. When she isn’t teaching, you’ll likely find her making art, exploring nature, singing, or learning something new.