Welcome to 2nd Grade with Teacher Sunna
Sunna deForest
Teacher Sunna deForest believes that children learn best by doing. For example, she and her students (often accompanied by guest experts) have studied history, paleontology, and chemistry by hiking Tussey Mountain to simulate the Lewis and Clark expedition, exploring roadside geological formations for Devonian fossils, and exploding balloons containing various gases. In addition, Sunna enjoys the freedom she has to follow her students’ lead when planning her curricula, such as going deeper into topics when students exhibit interest in them.
In the classroom, Sunna emphasizes not only the importance of individuals, but also the value of the community. She encourages students to view their classroom community as a place of safety and respect. She also directs much of their learning toward the history, ecology, sociology, etc. of the students’ larger central Pennsylvania community—a practice known as “place-based education.”
In her personal life, Sunna is just as adventurous as she is in the classroom. Along with her husband and son (who attends State College Friends School), she enjoys exploring, hiking, and camping in the wilderness. She is fascinated by the natural history of the places she visits, and she enjoys sharing what she learns with her students at school.
Sunna joined the faculty of State College Friends School in 2007. She brings an extensive background in service learning, environmental education, adventure learning, behavior intervention, integrated curriculum development, and yoga instruction. Sunna previously lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she worked at the Chinook Montessori Charter School, the Pearl Creek Elementary School, and the Alaska Boreal Forest Council. She also taught for a year at Elicarvicuar Elementary School in the Yup’ik Eskimo village of St. Marys, Alaska.
Teacher Sunna deForest believes that children learn best by doing. For example, she and her students (often accompanied by guest experts) have studied history, paleontology, and chemistry by hiking Tussey Mountain to simulate the Lewis and Clark expedition, exploring roadside geological formations for Devonian fossils, and exploding balloons containing various gases. In addition, Sunna enjoys the freedom she has to follow her students’ lead when planning her curricula, such as going deeper into topics when students exhibit interest in them.
In the classroom, Sunna emphasizes not only the importance of individuals, but also the value of the community. She encourages students to view their classroom community as a place of safety and respect. She also directs much of their learning toward the history, ecology, sociology, etc. of the students’ larger central Pennsylvania community—a practice known as “place-based education.”
In her personal life, Sunna is just as adventurous as she is in the classroom. Along with her husband and son (who attends State College Friends School), she enjoys exploring, hiking, and camping in the wilderness. She is fascinated by the natural history of the places she visits, and she enjoys sharing what she learns with her students at school.
Sunna joined the faculty of State College Friends School in 2007. She brings an extensive background in service learning, environmental education, adventure learning, behavior intervention, integrated curriculum development, and yoga instruction. Sunna previously lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she worked at the Chinook Montessori Charter School, the Pearl Creek Elementary School, and the Alaska Boreal Forest Council. She also taught for a year at Elicarvicuar Elementary School in the Yup’ik Eskimo village of St. Marys, Alaska.
