Our Teachers
EMILY PROVOST
Director |
I graduated with a B.A. in Visual Arts from Bennington College and plan to pursue a Master’s in Social Work focusing on Special Needs children and their families.
I learned at Bennington that art and children have a symbiotic relationship, so instead of pursuing my own arts career, I followed my passion for understanding children by helping them to develop their unique identities through the arts. I enjoy scaffolding large-scale, long-term projects, but always improvise according to children’s needs and interests. Early childhood provides a foundation for life. I seek to help young children develop self-awareness and awareness of others in their community through all kinds of expression—verbal, physical, artistic, metaphorical, sensorial, emotional, scientific. Over the last ten years, I have worked alongside children as young as birth through to adolescence in a variety of social, residential, and academic settings—from early childhood classrooms to in-home educational training for special needs children. Part of my purpose in joining WPCS is to share in the celebration of your children, their expression, our interdependence, and being part of a conscious community. I am relocating to Philadelphia after 10 years in New York City, and enjoy reading, writing, running, cycling, attempting to develop a green thumb, spending time with my toddler and the outdoors. |
JESSICA FENG
Teacher |
Jessica Feng (pronounced "fun") has worked at WPCS for over a year. She is intrigued by the school's unique cooperative structure and appreciates that WPCS is truly a play-based program. One of her favorite challenges of her job is breaking down large concepts into smaller, developmentally appropriate lessons. Having previously worked at Friends' Central and Friends School Haverford, aspects of a Quaker education have been instilled in her teaching methods. Preschool-aged children are her favorite age to nurture because they are curious about everything, learning social skills that they will use for life, and not afraid to be their true authentic selves. Jessica is especially interested in social-emotional development, emergent child-centered curriculum, and how to best support children with exceptional needs. She attended Haverford College where she earned a degree in Cultural Anthropology and Education. When Jessica is not at WPCS, she is reading, baking, crafting, or doing yoga. She lives in West Philadelphia with her partner and two cats name Cloud and Sephiroth.
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