Ruth Taylor, Grade 5-6 Instructional Support

Ruth Taylor is the mother of two. Though trained as a certified x-ray tech./dental assistant, she quickly fell in love with education. As her boys began their educational journey, she tagged along.  Mrs. Taylor has been employed as an aide at Epiphany Nursery School, Physical Education teacher (K-3) at Holy Family School and finally as a Shop Training Assistant at W.B. Saul High School where she enjoyed working with special education students in the Agricultural program. She also worked in the counselor's office, where she learned a great deal about the issues that young people face each day.

She came to Green Woods Charter School in November of 2002 and quickly fell in love with the campus, the students and their families. She enjoys the outdoors, cooking, gardening, art, music and sports. She is currently continuing her education and looks forward to another great year at Green Woods.

I just look in their eyes! That's all it takes for me to remember why I do what I do. As the children explore and investigate, their pools of chestnut, hazel or blue reflect all of the wonder and joy that being a Green Woods student can bring.

Lessons that are standards-based and curriculum-driven give teachers the freedom to be as creative as possible. The results are lessons that are fun to teach and intriguing to learn. They lay the foundation for life-long learning.  What makes it so much fun to teach at Green Woods is how the students react to the information they learn.  After just one lesson in recycling, students take on the responsibility of the environment and become teachers themselves.  Just try to throw away a soda can in the trash around one of our students! You'll get a lecture!

Being in an environment where one is truly happy is such a blessing.  To work at Green Woods, surrounded by the beauty of the campus, the caring staff, the devoted parents and the joyful, loving students is something for which I will always be thankful. 

Jean Wallace, Academic Director

As the Academic Director and CEO, Jean is responsible for guiding the design and implementation of our unique K-8 curriculum and for supporting the direction of all areas of school life. Jean works in collaboration with the Board of Trustees and Green Woods' Business Director to build on our successful past toward an even greater future.

Jean is responsible to the Department of Education for ensuring that Green Woods students are receiving a standards-based learning experience within the guidelines and mandates of Federal, State, and Charter School Law. In addition to the many responsibilities associated with curriculum and instruction, Jean supports Green Woods through successful grant writing, ongoing website communication, developing our student voice through the Jr. SLT, and by networking with key partners from within and outside the Green Woods community.

Jean's volunteer efforts as a member of the Governor's Council for Environmental Education provide a rare and exciting opportunity to work with many of the state's environmental experts and agencies. "By working collaboratively with the Department of Education and the many outstanding environmental agencies throughout our state, Green Woods is able to gain both valuable resources along with well-deserved recognition for the exceptional work being done by our teachers and students," Jean said. "Our innovative curriculum design allows us to use environment and ecology as the theme for integrated learning. Receiving the 2007 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence was proof of our success in delivering a high quality educational program at Green Woods."

In addition to the daily interactions with Green Woods dedicated staff and parents, Jean enjoys those special times when she gets to trail along on hikes with our budding naturalists. "Hiking with even our youngest students and seeing how they interact with the natural world is always an incredible learning experience for me. While many young children enjoy walking in the woods, Green Woods students are skilled observers, able to take in the big picture of the field ecosystem while at the same time patiently exploring the leaf litter in search of the smallest signs of life."

Jean holds a PA Certification for Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction and dual Pennsylvania teacher certifications, which recognize her ability to teach both K-12 Environmental Education and Elementary Education. She holds an Associate Degree in Health Science from Gwynedd Mercy College; a BA in Elementary Education from Beaver College, and a MAEd in Environmental Education from Arcadia University. Jean is currently enrolled in a post-graduate School Leadership Program at Arcadia.

Jean lives in Flourtown with her husband Frank, her mom Mary, her daughter Mary who attends the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University, and their black lab, Murphy.