Susan Axtell

Retiring Director of Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool, and 3 Year Old Teacher

Famous for a soft voice amongst busy three year olds, long red hair, and marvelous old world classroom activities Susan Axtell has held the hearts and hands of many Williamsburg children. Teacher of three year olds at the Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool since the 1970's and director of the school for many of those years, Susan Axtell sees children she has taught and parents of students almost everywhere she goes in town.

Mrs. Axtell says that her husband describes her as a "Professional Celebrant." She loves holidays and celebratory occasions and the crafts and activities that accompany them. Bringing activities into the classroom that are a bit "old fashioned" but that allow the children to be "part of the process" is also something that she enjoys. Many of these activities have been lost not only to today's preschoolers but to many of their parents as well.

Making homemade applesauce, for example, is not something that most children do in their homes or even in their grandparent's homes today. It is fun, hands on and educational. Other activities found in Susan Axtell's classroom include squeezing orange juice, making "stone soup," using pressed flowers in crafts, molding and then painting play dough necklaces for Valentine's Day, crayon melties, onion skin eggs and many others. Gingerbread is perhaps her favorite and certainly something she has become known for.

She is quick to point out that to many people these activities may look like just fun, or just play or just a neat thing to do, but they are planned around preschool skill development. She rattles off which activities prepare small fingers for holding scissors, which are precursors to writing with a pencil, which are manipulating quantities and laying ground for mathematics. All the teachers work very hard to provide activities which allow for creativity and choice and meet the curriculum goals of the school.