The teachers of Spirit at Play are passionate, highly educated, and bring a variety of strengths to the program.
Susan Wolfsen, Executive Director
Hello, my name is Susan Wolfsen, and I am incredibly happy to be part of the Spirit at Play community since October 2020! From the start of my bachelor’s degree in music education, I have been excited to share my joy and passion for music with children. With over 30 years of experience working in education, I have learned how the power of respect, listening, and collaboration creates a safe and supportive learning environment for all. I have worked in the Early Childhood Education field as a play, music, and art teacher while raising my two beautiful children. I have always enjoyed the curiosity of a child, their excitement to learn about the world around them, and learning about each individual personality.
These connections inspired me to grow into a leadership role as the director of a Montessori preschool where I was able to continue to foster relationships and enjoy the community it takes to raise a child.
A little bit more about me… I recently moved to the Missoula Valley after many years of working in the Bay Area. I grew up on a cattle ranch in Central California where I was free to roam as far as the eye could see. I moved here to be closer to my adult twins and explore all that Montana has to offer. I have always enjoyed the beauty of nature and moving here has felt like coming back to my roots. I love to hike, kayak, trap shoot, cook, crochet, and spend time with family and friends.
Kira Anderson, Meadowlark Lead Teacher (4.5-5.5 year old classroom)
Hello, my name is Kira and I have been working at Spirit at Play since 2009. I have lived in Montana all of my life, always in love with the mountains and adventures at my fingertips. Growing up in Red Lodge, Montana fostered my love of skiing, hiking, camping, paddle boarding, fishing, swimming, star gazing, and traveling. I am a lover of all things outdoors and believe that nature is our greatest teacher. My husband and I are very active and are always looking to explore! I couldn’t imagine spending my life anywhere else and have always felt lucky to live in such a beautiful state.
I moved to Missoula in 2007 to obtain my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After completing school, I realized that early childhood education is where my passion for teaching stems and continues to grow.
During my time at SAP, I have worked as a cleaner, assistant teacher, and have been in and around each of the classrooms. In 2016, a lead teaching position opened, and I jumped at the opportunity to become the lead teacher in the Meadowlark classroom. I knew my growth as a teacher had just begun! Getting to design my own curriculum based on the children in my care, access to the outdoors by heading to a park, going on a hike, taking the city bus to go on adventures, and being part of loving community has made me the teacher I am today. Spirit at Play has always felt like a second home to me; the love of teaching, nature, and children is so apparent when you walk into our school.
I find fulfillment in life when I am around children, they open my eyes to see the magic in the everyday world around us. I believe that kids should play in the mud, climb trees, talk out problems, find kindness in every situation, help others, and find beauty and inspiration in mother nature. I believe that growing up is a special time in a child’s life and should be full of wonder and joy. One of my favorite quotes from an unknown source is “Children are 100% washable. Air dry.” That is how I like to teach every day. We are only young once, and this is the time to explore, adventure, and experience life: with your whole self.
Paige Lennis, Meadowlark Assistant Teacher
Quirky, book nerd, goofball, plant mom, hopeful gardener, tall person who gets called upon to do tall person things, puddle jumping expert, love to sing and dance with kids, especially dancing in the rain! Even though I’m terrible at both. Can often be roped into games of “throw us on the mats”, wrestling on the mats, or “catch me” as kids jump off the tires. Jokester, collector of pens, and most importantly I love to play and have fun .
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Management and Ecology and I’ve held a Child Development Associate national credential for four years. I started working in the Early Childhood Education field at a Montessori preschool in Houston, TX while I was working in an AmeriCorp program. In the fall of 2016 I came back home to Montana and I’ve been a teaching assistant at Spirit At Play ever since! I love Spirit At Play’s philosophy of allowing and pushing children to become their own independent little person because they are more than capable of doing so many things without our help, and if we spend less time doing mundane tasks for them we can spend our time together in much more enriching ways. The fact that Spirit At Play encourages it’s teachers to take classes on field trips via the bus or walking has kept me coming back year after year. It’s such a fantastic way to enrich a preschooler’s education by getting around in their community and having those outside experiences.
I am a world traveler, a goal of mine is to put my feet on all seven continents and a lifelong goal is to visit every country on earth….quite the feat but one can dream! I love language and culture and meeting people who are different from me and who have different views on life. I love listening to music; any era of R&B, disco, pop, rap, and reggae keep me occupied on long road trips to Glacier. I’m a sports junkie….GO Griz, Bears, Astros, and Nets! I love the outdoors; especially hiking and camping, there is no better feeling to me than struggling to get up a mountain and then seeing that breathtaking view! I guess the last thing you should know about me is that winter is my absolute favorite! You might think I’m crazy but there is no better feeling than the crunch of snow under your boots and the tip of your nose being frozen….Love it!
My teaching philosophy is to get kids outside and let the great outdoors serve as a vessel to shape their minds. I’m a huge proponent of play as a learning tool but even more so of playing outside without toys and letting imaginations run wild. There’s something magical that happens when you take a group of 5-year-olds to the woods, mountains, or river. I have been known to bring the “classroom” with us wherever we are going to the forest or river to get the full outdoor classroom experience so you might catch us lugging art and other activity supplies on the bus some day. Endless learning follows.
Ericka Bigsby, Raven Lead Teacher (3.5-4.5 year old classroom)
Hello! My name is Ericka. I have had the privilege of being connected to Spirit at Play since my high school days, and it has played a huge role in shaping the person I’ve become today. I decided that I wanted to work with children fairly early in life and ended up volunteering at Spirit at Play for
community service during my senior year at Hellgate High School, and was offered a position upon graduation. At that time, I was pursuing a degree in Elementary Education at the University of Montana,
but realized after so many positively beautiful experiences in the early childhood field, I left the program and turned my focus to early education.
It is deeply important to me to be able to play a role in helping young children build that strong foundation they’ll need throughout their life. The practices of play-based and place-based education that we utilize at Spirit at Play are incredibly important in this goal. Creating environments and introducing curriculum in intentional ways that allow children to learn through play helps children to tap into their natural curiosity and fosters a genuine love of learning which is why play-based learning is the bee’s knees! Place-based education is all about our community and surroundings: giving children an opportunity to experience the wonder of the natural world that we as Montanans are lucky to be so close to and having a presence in our local community are both impactful in fostering a love of the
community we live in and of nature. If we have a deep love for nature and the people around us, we are more inclined towards the desire to protect, respect, and have compassion for the other living things we share space with on Earth. Among all of this, we also help children start building basic skills they’ll need throughout life. We teach children the importance of independence through problem solving skills while also providing a safe environment to ask for help or make mistakes. We discover the many emotions we all carry and how to experience them in healthy ways, and so much more. I really could go on for hours about teaching philosophy so I’ll wrap it up for now and leave you with this wonderful quote I saved from a textbook years ago: “Guidance means teaching children how to solve their problems rather than punishing children for having problems they cannot solve.”
Over the years, I have worn many hats at SAP including substitute teacher, school cleaner, part-time assistant/support staff, part-time administrative assistant, and finally as the assistant in the Meadowlark class. During my time with the Meadowlarks, I learned and grew an incredible amount both as a human and into my teaching style with Kira’s guidance and support. I also completed the Montana Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program with Hope’s invaluable mentorship helping me to earn my Child Care Development Specialist Certificate. After 8 years at Spirit at Play, I spread my wings and flew away to do some exploring. I moved down to the Bitterroot Valley to care for those who were aging or differently abled and learned a lot about respite and end of life care. However, I often reminisced on my early days facilitating childhood curiosity and frolicking out in nature, and so my heart has longed for quite some time to answer the call to return home. I have always been passionate about childhood development and early education, so to say that I am excited to take on this role of advocating for children and their families as a teacher at Spirit at Play is an understatement. It is a special honor for me to continue my journey in aiding and abetting our next generations to be kind, courageous, curious, and loving human beings.
–Short person who calls on tall people to do tall people things—Wormiest of book worms—Hobby collector (ask me about my current hobbies)—Spaghetti—Passionate about Pockets (yep, there’s definitely rocks in there, maybe even a pinecone)—Autumnal—Imaginative Introvert—Nature therapy practitioner—Bath bomb fanatic—Houseplants are cool—Beverage Goblin—Board Gamer—Spotify–
Abby French, Busy Bee Lead Teacher (2.5-3.5 year old classroom)
My name is Abby, I am an assistant teacher in the Busy Bee classroom! I have been involved in childcare for many years now, originally as a nanny for a family that connected me to Spirit at Play, and I began teaching here in the fall of 2019. Working as an early-childhood educator has been such a rewarding experience that brings so much joy into my life.
I am originally from Wisconsin, and I was drawn out West in 2014 to study art at the University of Montana. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art with a focus in painting and drawing. I feel so lucky to be able to incorporate my love for art in our classroom, and I have learned so much from the various art projects with SAP’s young artists!
For the past few summers I have been able to teach a weekly art class ~ “Art with Abby” is always a highlight of my year! Using what I have learned from this experience, I wrote and illustrated a children’s book about art-making called “Abbystract”. My hope is for this story to inspire future artists to explore their creativity and spark a passion for making art.
I am also passionate about nature and spending time outside, especially rafting in the summer, snowboarding in the winter, or hiking with my dogs!
Sabrina Quimby, Busy Bee Teacher Assistant
Hello, my name is Sabrina and I am the teacher assistant for the Busy Bees.
I am originally from southern Vermont and moved out west by myself with two suitcases to my name August 2018. It has been a scary move after going through several losses in my family, though it was so incredibly worth the growing pains.
I love writing poetry, hiking, snuggling my senior kitty, and reading! I am on the Queer Coalition Task Force for the Food Bank along with their Board of Directors. I love giving back to the community and seeing live music!
I went to college to study Anthropology with a minor in Psychology. I have a background in social work, teaching, de-escalation, customer service, crisis management, and two years of AmeriCorps under my belt! I am endlessly fascinated by the human brain and figuring out how we can frame our differences as strengths rather than burdens. I can’t wait to meet you all!
Bekah Moderie, Assistant Teacher
Hello, my name is Bekah and I became a teacher assistant at Spirit at Play in 2023.
I am a born and raised Missoulian and, as you can imagine, I love all things outdoors. I am always down for a good adventure or to catch a Griz or Packer game.
Most of the time you can find me at the Good Food Store as I am a deli manager there full time. I have always had a special place in my heart for kids and helping them grow. I come from a very large extended family with many cousins whom I loved caring for. This made Spirit at Play a very fitting place for me to pursue a passion I have had since I was a little girl and feed my soul through helping these kids learn and grow. I look forward to learning and growing alongside them.
I received my bachelors degree for photojournalism from the University of Montana in 2015. I still utilize my photography skills often when out hiking with my German Shepard, Belle, or on photoshoots with friends and family. I love capturing the moments that turn into memories.
Rocky Allen, Librarian
