STAFF - OUR TEACHERS

Adele Anderson
Adele came to the rewarding career of Preschool teaching after spending several years in the classroom with her three children at Magnolia Co-op. During those years, she served as Class Chair, General Chair, and created the Multi-Age Playroom. Adele has taught at the Magnolia Co-op for over 30 years.

Adele’s training in Early Childhood Education has continued in classes at Seattle Central Community College, and through 32 years of conferences with the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  She completed training with Jean Illsley Clarke on Self Esteem: A Family Affair, and taught the series for several years.

In addition to teaching classes, Adele has served as the School Operations Advisor for over 15 years, and works with committees to produce the Auction, the Toy and Clothing Sale, the spring arts function, and other enrichment events throughout the year.  Adele serves on the Executive board, and acts as liaison between our organization and the Magnolia United Church of Christ (our landlord) and Seattle Central Community College (our Parent Ed affiliate).

Virginia Docktor
Virginia joined the Co-op with her husband and two daughters in 2003. Both daughters have attended the Co-op from Toddlers on up.  Virginia has a B.A. in History from Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA, and a J.D. from McGeorge School of Law – University of the Pacific in Sacramento, CA.

Her most recent teaching experience has been Summer School right here at the Co-op! She has also worked in the Playroom at the Co-op and as an Instructional Aide at MLK Jr. Academic Middle School in San Francisco, CA.

Barbara Howson
Barbara and her two daughters started attending the Magnolia Cooperative Preschool in 1990, and for the next six years they progressed from the “Toddler” through the “Pre-K” classes.  Once both girls graduated to Kindergarten at Lawton, Barbara then joined the Co-Op teaching staff to teach “Toddler” and “Two” classes (as well as gymnastics to the “Three” and “Four” year olds) for the next twelve years.   After eighteen years as a Magnolia Cooperative Preschool parent and teacher, Barbara left her beloved Toddlers and Twos to spend more time administrating her husband’s business and keeping the books for three different companies.

But even during her two year hiatus from teaching, Barbara continued to teach gymnastics so that she could stay connected to the Co-Op community.  She is now looking forward to returning to the Preschool to teach a morning “Three” class.  She loves the non-stop energy and unpredictability of the preschool age children.   She’ll then spend the rest of her week dealing with the non-stop energy and unpredictability of businesspeople as she continues her administrative and bookkeeping duties.

Barbara graduated from the University of Washington with a kinesiology/psychology double major and a Masters in Sports Administration.  Upon graduation she explored her interest in human physiology by going to work at “The Little Gym” and “The Washington Conditioning Club”. 

 Judy McEvoy
Judy has been with the Magnolia Coop for over 30 years. She has taught toddlers, 2’s, 4/5’s and Pre-K. In 2003, Judy became certified as a yoga teacher, and has added yoga to her classroom curriculum. Judy teaches after school yoga to children and adults in addition to her regular teaching day.

Judy grew up in Montana and received her Bachelor of Science in Education at the University of Montana. She taught kindergarten at two different private schools before coming to the Co-op.

Judy and her husband Carl recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They have two grown sons: Chad, who is 33 and lives in Washington D.C., and Toby, who is 31 and lives in Ballard. Toby is recently married.

In addition to teaching, Judy loves to read, garden, hike, and kayak.

Cathy Miller
Cathy began teaching 3-year-olds at Magnolia Co-op Preschool in 1999 after attending the Co-op with her four children.  She comes from a family of teachers and had worked as a chef, a tutor, a recreational program instructor, and a bookseller prior to teaching at the Co-op.

Cathy is fascinated by the huge developmental changes that occur during the Three’s year and loves having the opportunity to impact children at this important stage of their development.

Gina Sheh
Gina's association with the Co-op began in 2000 when she and her husband and three sons moved to Magnolia.  All three boys attended Co-op from "Two's" all the way through Pre-K.   Besides her Co-op education, she has a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art from Skidmore College in New York.

Her most recent teaching experience has been at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Magnolia.  For six years she led "Catechesis of the Good Shepherd" -a Montessori based approach to religious formation for preschool age children.  She has also taught ballet classes for grade school kids and English as a Second Language to teenagers.

 Magnolia Cooperative Preschool   3555 West McGraw Street        Seattle, WA 98199       206-286-5922