Leann Joyce, A.C.O.R.N. Teacher

Active Curiosity, Observation & Reverence for Nature

Leann Tourzan was born in Portland, Oregon. She spent much of her childhood camping throughout the Pacific Northwest with her family. After high school she moved to Ashland where she fell in love with the natural diversity and connected with the communities she encountered throughout the region. She attended S.O.U. and received a BA in International Studies. After graduation Leann spent several years traveling the world and doing service work overseas.

Leann returned to S.O.U. in 1999 and earned a Masters in Early Childhood Education. She worked for several years at the Willow Wind Community Learning Center in Ashland. After having two children of her own and running a Waldorf-inspired outdoor Kindergarten program called Fairy Ring Forest School, Leann decided to join the Madrone Trail where she was the lead kindergarten teacher for seven years. Through her work with young children, she developed a deep understanding of the importance of play, fostering imagination, social interactions and what is essential for setting a healthy foundation for later academics. In 2012 Leann earned her second Masters, this time in Waldorf Early Childhood Education from the Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento.

Leann joined the Siskiyou School faculty in 2021, taking up the first grade class. In subsequent years she has become our gardening and A.C.O.R.N. teacher, a program for the younger grades, combining science, storytelling, and practical and artistic activities around the garden theme. Come see her in our Clay Street Garden and experience the magic she has brought to it and our students!