Jesse Oona Nickerson Hays is an educator and a designer who for years has been stringing together images and words—like beads on a chain—to make collages that sometimes blend the boundaries of art.
After working for a decade as an architect in Seattle and New York City, Jesse is now a Waldorf teacher at Wild Spruce Homeschool and also teaches art and language arts to children. In 2010, together with her husband, Josh, they designed and built a house in Seattle, where they now live.
oona's looking glass 
Hi Oona, Are you still Waldorf homeschooling? We are relocating to the area and looking for leads for like minded folks. Would love any resources you might have! Thanks!
Hello,
I am inspired by the brief bio I read and would very much like to connect with you over waldorf homeschooling. We live in the Seward park / Columbia city neighborhood and there are three-four families already implementing a preschool/kindergarten waldorf experience for our children. My twins will be graduating into grade 1 and I would value hearing from you how your grade 1 experience was. Our little group is also looking for a teacher if you are interested or have someone to recommend, please contact me. Thank you!
Hello Tricia,
In the meantime a few years have passed and I now have a 19month little girl named Selina. She is the joy of my life. I stopped teaching Wild Spruce for a few years and have been teaching part time at the Bridge School, a multi age experience led school in Burien, not a Waldorf School. I teach there on Fridays till mid May.
I also am working on the idea of a Waldorf co-op for little ones. This would be a multi-age morning care a few days a week from my house. We would go out rain or shine and set the pace for a very rhythmic day with songs and stories. I will know in a few weeks if this will take off or not. Sometimes it’s like herding cats with multiple families.
Where is your little school operating from? Who has taught it up to now? I absolutely loved teaching Wild Spruce. That was my little homeschool. We were based in West Seattle. The first year we were in a home basement classroom. Year two, Grade 2, we were at Youngstown, the Arts Building, where we had an old classroom. The kids (six by then) LOVED coming to a real school! We even did a play that year, the Legend of St Odelia, in the main Theater there. It was spectacular.
I am unsure of my future as of next school year, but your email made my heart sing. Do you know what days you will need a teacher for? I’d love to come meet you!
Best,
Jesse Oona Hays
By the way, my email is: oonajnick@gmail.com