Alex Zinnes

Alex is a product of Quaker education having graduated from Westtown School in Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the Atlanta Friends Meeting. At this point, Alex has been teaching 7th and 8th graders longer than they have been alive! For Alex, 7th and 8th graders are the human beings with whom she sees eye to eye. Literally. 

In Alex’s view, Quaker pedagogy, with its emphasis on developing each student’s unique perspective, voice, and gifts is a sacred act. “In Quakerism, we talk about everyone having the light within them. Sometimes I say I’m in the electricity business: my job is to crank up a kid’s wattage so they shine their brightest.”

For Alex, Quaker education is a humble, open-minded, life-long pursuit of Truth which is both a deeply spiritual experience as well as a practical endeavor of critical thinking. In her words,” Quaker education is quite possibly the best model of education ever devised.” 

“The most important thing in a student’s education is the kind of experiences they have with the adults in their schools. I love to work with teachers and develop their capacities. There are so many benefits to students when a teacher is fully jazzed by their craft.  I also love linking our mission as a Quaker school across the grades and into the community, essentially, making a child’s Quaker education come alive with relevance and purpose right now. As I like to say, childhood ain’t a dress rehearsal for life; it’s life happening right now and it matters so very much!”

“I also love music, creative writing, soccer, cats, gardening, cooking, urban foraging, hiking, traveling, and movies. Oh, and I’ve taught yoga & meditation for over 15 years.”