Staff
Mr. Craig Whedon
I founded Mindful Education Center in July of 2014 as an alternative for students who are being homeschooled or don't fit into a regular education setting. I began my educational career over twenty years ago as a special education teacher in Indiana. Since that time, I have worked in public education as special education teacher, director of special education, and building level administrator. I was born and raised in Columbus, IN. I graduated from Purdue University with my bachelor and masters degrees. In my pursuit to gain experiences in various educational settings, I was able to teach in several states. In July of 2002 my family moved to Georgia and I found quickly that Georgia’s educational policies and frameworks were sub-par. Having studied and practiced many different theories, Montessori, Constructivist, Choice, and Cognitive / Social Developmental Theories are all of the same opinion that active learners and social interaction are important elements in the development of an individual. I have more than 140 state and international presentations, several published articles and numerous experiences in educational and instructional settings. My philosophy is simple; building quality relationships with children is essential. Learning should be guided rather than presented in lectures, and language and discussion should be used in the learning process. This eliminates the need for competitive testing, academic placement, and behavior rewards to motivate learning. It allows for intrinsic motivation and helps engender the capacity for joyful learning in turn enabling them to work together to help each other. Please see my Vita below.
Mr. Sean Mooney
I grew up in Collingswood, NJ. It’s a small town just across the river from Philadelphia. Since I was about ten years old I’ve had two passions – science and writing. My high school education was lacking, but personal tutelage from my father, and his encouragement to pursue my own studies, carried me through those early years. I moved on to college – going to Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. There I focused on anthropology with the intent to become a forensic anthropologist. My subdisciplines reflected that career trajectory as I minored in biology, geology, psychology, sociology, archaeology, history, and literature. After college I moved on to Washington, D.C. (and got married); however, my intent to follow through with my education was stymied by the practical need to support my wife (already a year into her Ph.D. studies) and myself. After D.C., we came to GA where my wife obtained a job at the Army Crime Lab as a forensic chemist. We began a family, and my wife encouraged me to become a stay-at-home parent so I could also pursue my other lifelong passion – writing. Besides my academic interests, I enjoy reading, geocaching, hiking, and am a board game enthusiast. I enjoy the help I offer at Mindful Education Center and I especially enjoy using literature and writing as a means to introduce other topics of learning to the students. In literature, my favorite example is Frankenstein: You can’t read Frankenstein without learning at least a little bit about biology, evolution, philosophy, engineering, writing, and history. I use writing projects to encourage students to tap their own creativity; through that process we learn about story development, character development, grammar, and syntax. It is my hope that my enthusiasm - and attempts to make the subject matters fluid and insightful - will encourage students to be as curious and hungry for knowledge as I was, and still am.
I founded Mindful Education Center in July of 2014 as an alternative for students who are being homeschooled or don't fit into a regular education setting. I began my educational career over twenty years ago as a special education teacher in Indiana. Since that time, I have worked in public education as special education teacher, director of special education, and building level administrator. I was born and raised in Columbus, IN. I graduated from Purdue University with my bachelor and masters degrees. In my pursuit to gain experiences in various educational settings, I was able to teach in several states. In July of 2002 my family moved to Georgia and I found quickly that Georgia’s educational policies and frameworks were sub-par. Having studied and practiced many different theories, Montessori, Constructivist, Choice, and Cognitive / Social Developmental Theories are all of the same opinion that active learners and social interaction are important elements in the development of an individual. I have more than 140 state and international presentations, several published articles and numerous experiences in educational and instructional settings. My philosophy is simple; building quality relationships with children is essential. Learning should be guided rather than presented in lectures, and language and discussion should be used in the learning process. This eliminates the need for competitive testing, academic placement, and behavior rewards to motivate learning. It allows for intrinsic motivation and helps engender the capacity for joyful learning in turn enabling them to work together to help each other. Please see my Vita below.
Mr. Sean Mooney
I grew up in Collingswood, NJ. It’s a small town just across the river from Philadelphia. Since I was about ten years old I’ve had two passions – science and writing. My high school education was lacking, but personal tutelage from my father, and his encouragement to pursue my own studies, carried me through those early years. I moved on to college – going to Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. There I focused on anthropology with the intent to become a forensic anthropologist. My subdisciplines reflected that career trajectory as I minored in biology, geology, psychology, sociology, archaeology, history, and literature. After college I moved on to Washington, D.C. (and got married); however, my intent to follow through with my education was stymied by the practical need to support my wife (already a year into her Ph.D. studies) and myself. After D.C., we came to GA where my wife obtained a job at the Army Crime Lab as a forensic chemist. We began a family, and my wife encouraged me to become a stay-at-home parent so I could also pursue my other lifelong passion – writing. Besides my academic interests, I enjoy reading, geocaching, hiking, and am a board game enthusiast. I enjoy the help I offer at Mindful Education Center and I especially enjoy using literature and writing as a means to introduce other topics of learning to the students. In literature, my favorite example is Frankenstein: You can’t read Frankenstein without learning at least a little bit about biology, evolution, philosophy, engineering, writing, and history. I use writing projects to encourage students to tap their own creativity; through that process we learn about story development, character development, grammar, and syntax. It is my hope that my enthusiasm - and attempts to make the subject matters fluid and insightful - will encourage students to be as curious and hungry for knowledge as I was, and still am.
craig_whedon_vita_mindful_education.pdf |