Anne Marie McCollum

Anne Marie McCollum, a homeschool graduate, attended Vanderbilt University and Rhodes College, earning a B.A. in Spanish with a minor in English Literature. She tutored reading in the public schools in Memphis, coached Vanderbilt graduate students in English language and pronunciation, taught Spanish in a Catholic school for 3 years, and taught adult language classes through the University of Memphis. Anne Marie is a graduate of the East Coast CiRCE apprenticeship program. She has been homeschooling her five children since 2004 and directs a local Schole' group where she teaches Natural History, Humane Letters, Latin, and Rhetoric. She is a certified Tennessee Naturalist, coached her local 4H Wildlife and Forestry group for 5 years, and is a Cedarsong certified Forest School teacher. When she isn't teaching, Anne Marie enjoys reading hiking, camping, chasing waterfalls, and sharing her love of the outdoors with anyone who will listen. Anne Marie and her husband, Joshua, reside in middle Tennessee with their two youngest children, one dog, 25 chickens, and a constantly revolving stock of sheep, goats, and cattle. Teaching Philosophy: As a teacher, I believe that the cultivation of the sense of wonder is the most crucial element of education. I seek to inspire a sense of awe, joy, and wonder in students about the natural world God has created, and equip them with the tools to help them learn to attend to that world. I embrace mimetic and socratic forms of instruction, and find that the use of story, poem, music, and art are all important in the nurturing of the soul of the student in every area of learning. Statement of Faith: Growing up I participated in the protestant and the Catholic traditions and have taught within the context of many faith communities. I am a communing member of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church and affirm the Nicene Creed and the seven ecumenical councils of the church.