Danelle Waldow
Pahto (Grade 1) Teacher
Danelle Waldow, a.k.a Ms. D, started her journey in teaching in 2004 when she traveled abroad for several years as a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher. During this time she taught English to all ages, as well as English to major corporate businesses around Europe.
During her travels, Danelle fell in love with teaching children. Upon her return to the States, she obtained her BA in Education with an endorsement in Elementary Education from WSUV. While attending University she gained a love for enriching education with Science, Engineering, and Art.
This new found passion led her to a job as an event planner and engineering design teacher at MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement) at WSUV. Danelle taught many classes for Middle School children in Science and Engineering, as well as leading teams of young engineers in building a prosthetic arm for MESA’s annual state competition.
Danelle has two beautiful children. While they were little she decided to work part time as a substitute teacher in Vancouver, Evergreen, and Battle Ground schools so she could stay home with them more. They are her pride and joy!
Prior to joining Gardner, Danelle taught Kindergarten at Mini Mozart’s Preschool, as well as an after school enrichment program for grades K-2. She created enriching programs incorporating Science, Engineering, and Art, as well as a project-based and hands-on curriculum. Danelle is also very proud to follow the ‘Helpful Heart’ philosophy in her teaching: she encourages love, kindness, respect, and inclusion in social/structural interactions. She strongly believes the best learning comes through exploration, play, and hands-on curriculum. Danelle is very excited to share her knowledge and love of teaching with her class this year!
