John Muir

SAMANTHA WHITE

Master of Science in Education

My name is Miss Sam and I am pleased to serve as the director and primary teacher at Barnyard Academy. I hold a Master of Science in Education from Sage Graduate School in Troy, NY as well as a Bachelor's Degree in History from SUNY Albany in Albany, NY. My maternal grandmother was an elementary school teacher and dreamt that I would someday open a one room schoolhouse.  Barnyard Academy is my vision, born out of that dream.

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I was born in Boston but grew up all over the United States. My father is an oncologist and my mom possessed a tremendous love for adventure which lead us to many locations, even abroad. My childhood was largely spent in Florida and my adolescent years in Northern California, with many other states peppered in-between. After high school, I moved to my parents' home state of New York for university and stayed for several years before relocating to Tennessee in March of 2012.

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I have been proud to call Tennessee home ever since. The past 9 years have been spent raising my five children, working on and expanding our farm and gardens, and now founding and opening Barnyard Academy.

I have a tremendous love for plants and animals that was instilled in me from an early age. As a child, I would take my two dogs and simply wander off in the hills exploring for hours on end. I grew up in a house full of an assortment of wonderful and exotic pets and my mom spent hours creating spectacular outdoor garden spaces. I continue that tradition today with my family.

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Some of the experiences I am most excited to share with your children include hatching eggs, gardening and hunting for Monarch caterpillars. Kite flying and giant bubbles and sun drawings and leaf rubbings. I want to share my adventures traveling and living abroad and call upon those memories to celebrate cultural diversity on a much deeper level than can be achieved through books and lectures alone.

The varied school exposure I had as a child attending Montessori, Waldorf, Christian and International boarding schools helped shape my teaching philosophy. All of this and more is incorporated into my vision for Barnyard Academy. A preschool experience that is truly unique and valuable.  

My greatest hope is to share my love, knowledge and appreciation for nature and the outdoors with young children.

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