Brian Clegg brings a rich background in the arts to his teaching at The Gardner School. A native to the Pacific Northwest, Brian studied painting and filmmaking at the Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Northwest Film Center before pursuing a BA in English at Portland State. Three years of teaching Moving Image Arts at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics led him to pursue his Masters Degree in Education at WSU in 2005, and a commitment to a teaching career. His Master’s study focused on integrating traditional academic disciplines into project-based work in the middle school classroom.
Brian believes that The Gardner School allows for students and teachers to engage in the world of learning as a collaborative team. He says of his experience teaching at the Gardner School, “This is a unique place where adults guide children to live up to their potentials.” One of the things that Brian values most highly as a teacher are opportunities for students to work outside of the classroom in what we so frequently call “the real world.” His own experiences as a learner have taught him that the most powerful lessons almost always occur when we’re out in the world, taking risks and trying new things. Much of the work done in Tahoma is designed to create a meaningful interplay between the classroom community and the larger community outside the classroom.