About AWE Creative Learning
Appreciate. Wonder. Explore.
AWE is an invitation to reimagine the way we approach and experience education. It is a philosophy of learning grounded in real-world experiences, rooted in curiosity, and developed through exploration.
AWE reflects the way we learn most naturally—driven by our own interests, questions, and curiosity.
Appreciate
When we take the time to notice the world around us, we develop an appreciation for God’s creation. We slow down and use all of our senses to experience our surroundings. We observe and cultivate gratitude for the beauty, complexity, and marvels of creation.
Wonder
This appreciation naturally leads us to wonder—Why? How? What if?
Questions spark curiosity, and curiosity develops a genuine desire to learn. Instead of simply receiving information, children become invested in discovering the answers for themselves.
Explore
The spark of curiosity launches us into authentic learning. We explore our questions and ideas by studying texts, engaging in conversations, making observations, solving problems, conducting experiments, creating, and experiencing the world around us.
This is where children begin to take ownership of their learning.
I believe this should be at the heart of every child’s education. It is what cultivates lifelong lovers of learning. It develops curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving—and gives children the opportunity to see learning not as something that is done to them, but as something they actively participate in.
Why AWE?
After eight years of teaching in the public education system, I came to realize that I wanted to offer children a more authentic education.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Secondary Mathematics Education, I have spent years studying pedagogy and practicing instructional techniques. I have worked with hundreds of students from elementary through high school, across a wide range of backgrounds and abilities. I have spent thousands of hours learning how to differentiate instruction and meet students where they are.wh
Although I count those experiences as incredibly valuable, they have also opened my eyes to all that can be lost. When children’s natural and incredible capacity for wonder and exploration is suppressed, learning can lose much of its engagement and authenticity.
I believe in an academically rigorous education that challenges children to think, create, question, and solve problems—one that follows their natural curiosity, builds on their strengths, and intentionally develops areas that need growth.
What is AWE?
AWE is taking the time to understand where mathematical equations come from and why they were developed.
AWE is giving children the opportunity to not only participate in scientific experiments, but to walk through the scientific process of designing an experiment.
AWE is studying nature up close enough to feel the textures and smell the fragrances, rather than simply skimming over textbook photographs.
AWE is reading living literature that promotes imagination and ignites ideas.
AWE is a way of seeing the world that inspires a lifelong love of learning.