Specialty Teachers
Strings Teacher
Alex Abrams
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Alex’s bio is coming soon!
Woodworking Teacher & Site Coordinator
Atta Turck
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Born in Germany, Atta grew up in a master furniture maker’s household (his grandfather’s) and was lucky to be taught the craft.
He earned a master’s degree in economics at the University of Munich, added a teaching certificate in adult education and taught in numerous community colleges in Germany, while working on a doctorate.
His life suddenly changed when his father unexpectedly died and he was needed to take over his business for some time before it could be sold favorably.
Prior to coming to the United States, Atta lived nine years in Tuscany, Italy, where he renovated historic country houses, and in turn, began his own woodworking shop, and enjoyed a large garden, a little vineyard, and 130 olive trees.
From there his path led him to Cottage Grove, Oregon, where he opened his own woodshop again, eventually specializing in doors, windows, and some custom furniture.
After a divorce, he took a job as operations manger in a small door import company in Eugene, through which he honed his operational and leadership skills. He soon designed and built as prototypes doors that were then manufactured in Indonesia to be sold on the American market.
The divorce had stirred his interest in mediation and he served as small claims mediator for the Eugene court, worked in community mediation, and for years in restorative justice mediation for the juvenile court system.
Atta had a two year stint in Vancouver, BC, where he joined his second wife, who led a class to their middle school graduation at the Vancouver Waldorf school.
From there the couple was hired by the Waldorf School of Garden City on Long Island, NY. Atta became the woodwork teacher for grades five to twelve, for which he attended the Waldorf high school teacher training at Rudolf Steiner College and many professional development courses in Germany.
Atta has taught at the Eugene Waldorf School since 2010.
In addition to living in Germany, Italy, Oregon, British Columbia and New York, Atta has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East, India, and North America.
Handwork Teacher
Karen Tyler
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Karen enjoys the beautiful outdoors and living in the Pacific Northwest, gardening and hiking as much as possible. She grew up in Delaware and spent lots of time traveling the world after graduating from college in Virginia.
She became interested in handwork when her eldest daughter was just a babe in arms. Karen began a sewing business out of her home and quickly expanded her horizons once she learned of all the handmade toys and gifts she could create using recycled and natural materials.
She has held handwork classes for adults as well as various homeschool groups over the years. She has expanded her love of creating into a small traveling booth selling at fairs and markets in the local area.
Karen very much enjoys her work with children, sharing her inspiration to guide them to completing lovely handmade items both useful and beautiful. She lives within walking distance of EWS at her little urban farmstead.
Handwork Assistant
Karen Clarke
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Karen was born, raised, and educated here in the Pacific Northwest.
Karen is deeply influenced by the textures, colors, and the wonder of nature and all its beauty. With an active imagination and passion for creativity, her designs are eco-minded with an emphasis on recycled materials.
When not teaching the children at the Eugene Waldorf School, she teaches fiber art classes at several locations around Eugene, as well as in her studio. She design-develops and supplies product lines for companies worldwide and for her own online store.
She has been involved with the Eugene Waldorf Handwork program for over 20 years and enjoys bringing the art, philosophy, and beauty of sewing, knitting, felting, and crafts of many kinds to children of all ages.
Spanish Teacher
Cricket Clarke
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Since graduating from the Waldorf Teacher Training in Eugene over a decade ago, Cricket has traveled in México, Brazil and Perú, visiting Waldorf school communities along the way. She has teaching experience as a Waldorf grades teacher, as a public school teacher and as a parent educator. Her biggest achievement of the past decade is becoming a mother and raising two children.
Maestra Cricket has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and South American Literature from the University of California Santa Barbara. She learned Spanish as an adult by participating in language and culture immersion programs in Córdoba, España; Santiago, Chile and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. She lives in a bilingual household.
Maestra Cricket steps into the classroom with excitement to participate in the holistic education of your children by bringing life to global cultures and expanding perspectives through a multi-sensory and experiential language curriculum.
Cricket is passionate about her human community and the natural world around her. She spends her free time dancing, cooking big pots of food, and caring for stray kitties.
Spanish Teacher
Rachel Hawks
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Rachel comes from a lifetime of Waldorf education as an alumni of the Portland Waldorf School, kindergarten through 12th grade. Although she began learning Spanish in 4th grade at PWS, she honed her Spanish speaking abilities when she spent a semester of college with School for International Training in Panama.
Upon completing her B.A. in music at Bard College in New York state, Rachel moved to Panama, where she lived in the rural, agricultural town of Cerro Punta and worked with Grupo Orgánico de Agricultores Cerropunteños (GORACE) as a grant writer, translator and organizer, helping promote organic agriculture in an area reliant on chemical use. Rachel has worked as an outdoor educator and field instructor for programs in Austin, Texas; Alaska; California; Hood River, Oregon and the Portland area.
When not teaching Spanish at EWS, Rachel can sometimes be found working as a raft, kayak, bike or snowshoe guide for the Recreation Department for the City of Eugene, or riding her bicycle, playing the banjo in her band The Dirty Dandelions, knitting or working in her garden. Rachel has taught Spanish at EWS since 2012.