Rowan Stanley

Teacher

Hello,

My name is Rowan Stanley; for the first two years I have been running the after care program here at Sunflower, as well as teaching art classes and substituting for core classroom teachers on their half days. I am very happy to now be the core teacher for our youngest group!

Through working at Sunflower I have become really passionate about early childhood education; it is a huge gift and honor to support and guide children through such a crucial time in their life. My approach to teaching is based on forming a relationship of mutual respect and care, helping students to feel confident in their ability to learn and grow, and to build collaborative and supportive friendships with their fellow classmates. I believe the foundational values of creativity, kindness, self assurance, curiosity, and personal responsibility that Sunflower aims to nurture in each student will set your child up for success both socially and educationally.

I have a background in art history and am currently applying to programs to expand my education into art therapy for early childhood. I am also a working artist and have displayed my art in a number of local and national galleries.

Since opening its doors over 50 years ago, Sunflower has become an important part of the community, hosting public events like our Spring Fest and yearly Shakespeare plays, and contributing to charitable causes like local food drives. Sunflower alumni have gone on to become notable journalists, artists, engineers, scientists, musicians, historians and more, and we remain a close knit group–I am myself a Sunflower alumni and oftentimes just going downtown can turn into an unofficial Sunflower reunion. In fact, chances are if you have lived in St. Petersburg or Gulfport, you have met a Sunflower family member. It has been an amazing experience to come back to a place that had such an influence on the person I am today, now from the other side, and I am very excited to be a part of this process and to help your children blossom into empowered and educated individuals.

Love, Rowan