Claire Anderson We're excited to welcome Claire to Bloom & Grow to offer signing classes to infants and toddlers. Claire is founder of Talk 2 Your Baby and an educator with a Master’s in Elementary Mathematics and Literacy. During the years that she taught in the classroom, it became clear that children have the ability to learn much earlier than most people imagine. In fact, a child under the age of five is more apt to learning than at any other time in their life. After the birth of her son, Caleb, she decided to get her American Sign Language (ASL) certification. She felt it was important to give him the tools to communicate as early as possible. At only 18 months, Caleb is able to communicate with sign language, read first grade texts, use phonics, has a good grasp of geography and can add. See her son in action.
Tanika Colbert will be teaching our science class. Tanika has been a first grade teacher for the Clayton County Public School System for three years. While in college, she worked as a nanny and substitute teacher and discovered her passion for teaching. Tanika obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Georgia State University, and is currently a volunteer with the Saturday School and After School Remediation Programs at her school. Tanika hopes that exposing children to fun and innovative science programs will heighten their curiosity about the world around them and motivate them to pursue careers in this wonderful and dynamic field.
Meng Fei will be teaching our Chinese Language Playgroup & Immersion classes. Fei is a Chinese native with a passion for teaching language to small children. After receiving his B.A. in Beijing, he studied for 2 years at the Beijing Foreign Studies University with bachelor’s level coursework to teach Chinese as a foreign language. Following that, he started a company that created a national cartoon television show and radio show for China National Radio that incorporated video, spoken and associated textbooks to teach English as a second language to children. Since coming to the U.S. in 2008, he has been tutoring small children in Chinese, and is working to create a similar educational offering with video, audio and textbooks to teach Chinese to English speaking children
Dr. Michele A. Kliem will be teaching our science class. Michele holds a faculty position at Georgia Tech. She earned her Ph.D. in pharmacology at Emory University in 2008. Dr. Kliem's research in neuroscience focused on the role of the basal ganglia in the modulation of movement under normal conditions and in Parkinson's disease. She designed a combination microelectrode recording-injection device to deliver very small quantities of drugs to locally test their effects on celluar discharge properties of individual neurons in vivo. Dr. Kliem has participated in a National Brain Awareness Week visiting local Atlanta elementary and high schools. She teaches Health & Wellness courses at Georgia Tech.
Gilda Thomas will be teaching the ballet & tap classes. Gilda is the director and founder of Gilda Thomas Dance Company. A native of New York City, Gilda is a graduate of the High School of Performing Arts in New York City and North Carolina School of the Arts. With a major in dance, she has extensive training in both dance and theatre and has performed with a number of reputable companies including the North Carolina Repertory Company and the Atlanta University Center Dance Theatre of Atlanta. Gilda has received numerous awards and honors for excellence in choreography. She has taught ballet, tap, jazz, modern, African dance and gymnastics for the past 13 years.
