OUR TEACHERS
Sean Burke
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Sean got her start in education as a Teach for America Corps Member in San Antonio, Texas, where she taught second and fourth grades. After her time in San Antonio, she relocated to the Northeast where she worked in Newark, NJ at two nationally recognized public charter school networks: North Star Academy and KIPP. As a founding team member of KIPP BOLD Academy, she looped grades 5 through 7 so she could track and support the growth of single cohort through the school. She went on to work as an Instructional Coach & Team Leader at KIPP, and was recognized for significant Improvement to the Network and for leading Team of the Year. Sean also spent time as a Manager of Teacher Leadership Development in the South Bronx, where she coached teachers, facilitated professional development and drove results in various K-12 contexts. All of Sean’s work has been guided by the idea that creating a more just and equitable society begins in the classroom and she’s excited to be working alongside the passionate educators at FWS.
Sean earned her bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University, where she graduated with honors and dual degrees in Spanish and Film Studies. She also completed a two-year fellowship with the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education (NAATE).
Sean earned her bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University, where she graduated with honors and dual degrees in Spanish and Film Studies. She also completed a two-year fellowship with the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education (NAATE).
Teacher Kate
EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR & LOWER SCHOOL TEACHER
Kate Malone came to teaching through art. Her first job in education was in the summer of her junior year at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1996, teaching stop-motion animation to children. Since then, Kate has been pursuing experiences where she can "teach outside of the box." She's taught every age from 2 to 15 as well as graduate courses in education at her alma mater, Bank Street College. Kate holds a Masters in Childhood General and Special Education. She sees teaching as an ongoing inquiry process that involves teachers, children and families. She brings influences from Bank Street, Montessori and Quaker practice into the classroom. Kate is thrilled to be guiding the curriculum and teacher development at Friends Western School, as well as leading the Kindergarten and First Graders.
Teacher Tim
UPPER SCHOOL TEACHER & DEAN OF QUAKER EDUCATION
Tim Noonan has a B.A. in Early Childhood Education and English from Boston College. Prior to FWS, he taught second grade for four years at J. Erik Jonsson Community School in Dallas, Texas, a school focused on employing research-based, brain-compatible teaching and learning practices while building relationships with children and families. An Eagle Scout, Tim has brought his love of camping and the outdoors into various Outdoor Education projects, including educational hikes and team-building campouts. An avid subscriber of “The Lifeskills,” Tim tries to infuse character development and service learning into the children’s daily practice. His students run their own class business, using the funds to purchase classroom supplies and gym equipment, as well as to make charitable donations. Teacher Tim believes in using a multimedia approach to learning and his students can often be found writing and filming short videos to showcase their writing and demonstrate understanding.
Teacher Jamie
ASSISTANT TEACHER & OUTDOOR PLAY SUPERVISOR
Jamie Ramos graduated from California State University–Los Angeles with a B.A. in Urban Learning and a minor in Special Education, Mild to Moderate Disabilities. Jamie's teaching is influenced by the educational theories of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Piaget believed that children actively construct their knowledge through organization and adaptation. In every instance, interactions children have with people or objects will lead to ways of them understanding the world. According to Vygotsky, children learn through the "zone of proximal development." While in the zone, a more knowledgeable person assists the child in learning and processing information; whether it be a teacher, parent, friend, or peer. Both theorists have helped shaped Jamie's philosophy of education because these theorists focus on how children think and learn in their environment.
Teacher Kindred
ART & SPANISH TEACHER
Kindred Gottlieb graduated from the LA County High School for the Arts in 1991 and earned her B.A. in Neuropsychology and the Creative Process from Hampshire College where, for her final thesis, she designed the groundplans for a giant walk-through brain. Among her odd jobs, Kindred has been Assistant to the Head of Biology at The New York Hall of Science, Lighting Director for Seattle Repertory Theater, and Company Stage Manager for the comedy troupe Culture Clash. In 2000, she returned to art, studying sculpture full time at Chautauqua School of Art, The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture, and Universität der Künste, Berlin. While in Berlin she became Technical Director for Dock 11, a Dance theater and school. She took many classes in Butoh and movement improvisation and became interested in the intersection between movement and visual art. Also in Berlin, she created puppets and props for the children's theater company Berliner Tastentheater. Returning to Los Angeles in 2005, she taught technical theater at UCLA's Theater Department as their Master Electrician and designed lights for local dance companies including Helios, BodyTraffic, and String Theory. Kindred is currently the Art Director and Assistant Puppeteer for the puppet film company Classics in Miniature and shows her sculptures at the Hive Gallery in Downtown. For the last 4 years she has taught sculpture and movement improvisation at Wisdom Arts Laboratory and oversees the Sunday Day School program at Orange Grove Friend's Meeting. In 2013 she received a Certificate from UCLA in Social-Emotional Arts Education.
