Staff
Cheryl Warren
My name is Cheryl. I have been married for over 30 years to Duane, and we have two sons (both of them grown up). I have done a lot of different things in my life, and there is so much more I would like to do and see. For me, two of the very best things in life are learning and teaching.
I studied history and music at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and then studied some more to become a teacher. After graduate school, I taught in a small school district during the day, and in the evening I did musical comedy on the stage of the Alhecama Theater in Santa Barbara. While I was teaching, I continued to study anything that interested me – like spinning and weaving and clothing design.
After moving to the Pacific Northwest with my family, I lived for a while in the mountains, worked as a fiber artist and began selling clothing and other items I made on my looms. I continued with my weaving for many years and eventually became president of the Seattle Weavers Guild. That was fun because I got to meet weavers and artists from all around the country; I even traveled to China and visited weavers there.
While all this was happening, I never gave up teaching. In addition to teaching weaving to other people, I worked with several schoolbook publishing companies and began to teach teachers about teaching. Then I started working as a substitute teacher in different schools, teaching music and language arts. Finally I decided that I couldn’t stay away from the classroom any longer, so I found a school program that allows me to explore new and interesting ways of teaching.
For many years I have been teaching a class in the PACE (Parents Active in Children’s Education) program at Woodmoor Elementary. Active parent involvement is one of the requirements for acceptance into the PACE program, so I always have other people helping in the classroom. This gives me the freedom to weave learning and teaching into one fabric, making it fun for me and my students. And that is what the Traveling Classroom project is all about.
Ken Krekow
After 15 years in the business world, I followed my passion to become a teacher. I earned my Masters of Education degree at the University of Washington and went to work in Snohomish, Washington at Emerson Elementary. I have taught 3rd through 6th grades, and currently teach 3rd graders.
I believe that good teachers put extra educational focus on subjects they love and have personally experienced. Sharing lessons learned through travel helps children to broaden their perspectives. Helping students to think beyond their local circumstance is an important step in allowing them to become global citizens.
Janice Krekow
I have been an elementary school teacher for fifteen years in the Northshore School District in Washington State. I have taught 3rd through 6th grades and currently teach fourth grade. I love teaching because the students are eager to learn, especially when you are sharing real stories about our world. I have been married to Ken for 34 years and have two grown children, both married and living away from our home.
I continue to travel because I have a desire to learn more about the world and it’s people. When a teacher is enthusiastic about life and our world, students will benefit. My objective is to be the kind of a teacher who inspires children to think beyond the four walls of the classroom.
Ginger Trump
I’m Ginger. I have been teaching younger children for many years through museum programs and early childhood education centers. I now teach in the Seattle School District. Teaching is my favorite thing, because the more I teach the more I learn.
I completed my Masters in Education at the University of Washington while helping Cheryl develop new ideas for the Traveling Classroom. I now share these ideas with my students in the classroom.
My husband and I live in Bothell, Washington with our two daughters, Della and Lexi, and a large black dog named Spain.
