Following are biographical sketches and resumés of second- and third-year San Diego WISC students.
This page may be especially helpful to Waldorf schools which are looking for qualified potential teachers to hire in the near future. For inquiries, e-mail: sandiego@waldorfteaching.org
Kristen Arrastia: I was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, raised in Western Massachusetts, the middle of three girls. I continued my education by attending the University of
Massachusetts, studying Sociology, Women's Studies, and Spanish. I heard the call of the West Coast, after my third year, and decided to answer. I traveled to Portland, Oregon living, working and exploring
the fields of birth, bodywork, and herbalogy. After meeting my husband we moved to Southern California, to be closer to his family. Looking for community and career, I was thrilled to find the Waldorf
Institute of Southern California. I am currently teaching at “A Child's Garden of Thyme,” a Lifeways center in Oceanside, California. I am enjoying my time in early childhood, but look forward
to the experience of taking a class through the grades.
krstnzlink@yahoo.com | 760-846-0195
Chelaine Kokos: I was born and raised in Minnesota. I received my Bachelor of Science from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in recreation and leisure studies with an
emphasis on outdoor education, outdoor recreation, land management and youth programming. I have been working with children for over 12 years in a variety of settings from the outdoors to the classroom. I
currently live and teach in Big Bear, California where I am one of the founding teachers of 'Singing Pines,' an outdoor, experiential, non-profit, private school. I teach a combination kindergarten/1st
grade.
Our connection to nature is a strong force in my life, and I spend as much time outside as possible, hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing and camping. I am interested in teaching the
grades and will be pursuing my eurythmy training in the future.
ckokos@gmail.com | 612-616-8243
Sarah Lambert: My twin sister and I attended the Waldorf School of San Diego for kindergarten and first grade. After attending other schools and graduating from Pomona College and from San Francisco Conservatory, I began taking summer classes through WISC and had the opportunity to return to WSSD as an assistant in strings, eighth grade, and early childhood aftercare.
I presently teach fourth grade cello class, assist in the middle school orchestra, and give cello lessons at WSSD. I also do math tutoring and care giving. Because I cherish the chance to wash dishes and to clean anything, I particularly enjoy substituting as an assistant in the kindergarten and nursery.
I appreciate the depth and scope of the classes offered through WISC. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, playing chamber music, writing, going for walks, making collages, and watching cats sleep.
Anna Masters was born and raised in the Ojai Valley. She began her early education at Oak Grove, a school established by Krishnamurti. She eventually went on to the public
school system. In high school she was inspired by Theosophy and began studying the works at the Theosophy Institute in Ojai. She was also working with a Marine Biologist in Oxnard at the time, studying the
white abalone which is an endangered species. She went on to college, studied various subjects and is very inspired by science and the ocean. During her pregnancy, her sister (who is a Waldorf kindergarten
teacher) introduced her to Anthroposophy and Waldorf education.
Anna became very inspired by the movement at this time, and she joined the Waldorf Institute of Southern California when her son was one year old. During this time as a stay-at-home
mother she started a playgroup which is still active today.
Anna is the Outreach Coordinator for the Parent Connection, she organizes adopt-a-family donations during the holidays and coordinates at senior facilities events which join
children and the elderly together each month at many facilities throughout San Diego County. She is currently starting her second year working at the Waldorf School of San Diego as an assistant to Miss
Susan Star in the kindergarten. She is a member of the Anthroposophical Society and very devoted to her work as a Waldorf educator and as Rudolf Steiner said, to “Live through deeds of love.”
avmasters@hotmail.com | 619-886-8814
Deborah Parrish: I was born in Colorado and began at an early age to enjoy the spiritual world of nature. I loved school, excelled in spelling and English and became an avid
reader. After moving to California I was immersed in life in Orange County, enjoying nature, the ocean and going to college. I returned to Colorado where I lived in a little town at the base of Pikes Peak
where I married; my love of nature flourished here in the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Moving back to California I lived in Big Bear and enjoyed the beauty of a different mountain range before heading
onward to Oregon, building a dome, raising my children and working for the Forest Service. When my daughter was in first grade I fell in love with education, seeing that it held many secrets for the
healthy maturation of our young. Helping in the classroom was the inspiration for starting teacher training. When I returned to California after the death of my husband, I became a chef for a small
catering company, returned to school and resumed my education, receiving my liberal studies degree. Observing in mainstream classrooms, I knew something was really missing. The missing link was found as I
began working at WSOC as aftercare director. It was like coming home. This new direction was transforming and I became engrossed in the works of Rudolph Steiner, anthroposophy and this new impetus in the
lives of our children. I entered the foundation program, then the WISC program, and now work in an ECE classroom, teach a cooking block and garden. I feel strongly that the essence of Waldorf education and
spiritual science is the healing force to pave the way for the future.
mychefdeb@hotmail.com | 949-903-9923
Mayra Sandelin Birthplace: Matagalpa, Nicaragua
Degree:
Elementary School Teaching Degree,
Colegio Normal Jose Marti, Matagalpa, Nicaragua
Work Experience:
Five years teaching elementary school in Nicaragua
Eight years as assistant teacher in Waldorf Kindergarten, San Diego, CA
Areas of Teaching Interest:
Kindergarten, Spanish, child psychology, special education
Inerests & Hobbies: Reading, dancing, hiking, nature, music
I am originally from the coffee-growing highlands of the country of Nicaragua. I grew up in Matagalpa, the regional capital city, but spent much of my childhood on my grandfather's
farm. I earned my teaching degree and worked for five years as an elementary school teacher in Nicaragua. In 1991 I moved to the U.S. where I married my husband Raul, whom I had met while he was re-
building the school where I was teaching. Since Raul is a native San Diegan, we settled in San Diego while I began taking college English and Child Development classes and continued to work in Child Care.
I also met Cynthia Caywood and David Hay, becoming an extended member of their family while helping watch their two children, Judith and Abby, who would eventually enroll in Waldorf. And that is how I
discovered the Waldorf School of San Diego, which I joined as a kindergarten assistant in 2003. Currently, I am a second-year WISC student. My son Dylan has been a student at WSSD since he was 18 months.
He is now in 3rd grade.
Sandelin@cox.net | 619-590-2850