Meet the Blue Willow Tutorial Team
Priscilla Bell - Executive Director
Priscilla Bell is the founder and Executive Director for Blue Willow Tutorial. She and her husband, Nathan Bell, have been married for thirteen years and they have three children, Rory (10), Maddie (9), and Caylor (1). She has a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (K-8) and has experience teaching children in local public schools and private schools in various grade levels. In her years of teaching in those capacities, she became hungry for an education model that would truly meet children where they are and help them soar to new heights. Raised on the methods of Charlotte Mason, she began to dive deeper into this relational philosophy of learning and teaching and in so doing, discovered a beautiful and complete model of education that serves the whole child as God designed him – spirit, soul, and body. Priscilla and her family attend Hillcrest Church in Etowah, TN.
Lisa Ector is the Director of Education at Blue Willow Tutorial. Lisa has a long history with the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education, beginning with homeschooling her own 7 children with these methods almost 30 years ago. Since then, she has immersed herself in the study of relational learning and served for three years as the Director of Education at Ingleside Tutorial in the Chattanooga area. She currently serves on the board of the Charlotte Mason Institute, a worldwide organization committed to research and development on this learning approach. In recent years, Lisa has also traveled throughout the country facilitating teacher training and helping with CM school and hybrid start-ups. At Blue Willow, she handles the day-to-day operations for grades 1-8 along with tutor training, scheduling, and curriculum implementation.
Lisa Ector - Director of Education
Tutors
Tonya Yates - Kindergarten Tutor
Tonya is the mother of six children, five of whom are grown and have flown the nest. She has homeschooled all her children. While looking for helps for four of her children with learning disabilities, she developed a passion for making sure early learning is multisensory and for nurturing each child as a whole person, instead of aiming for an academic score. She has also taught preschool in a homeschool coop. Tonya says that after being a mother, interacting with and teaching young children is one of the greatest joys she's known. She attends Calhoun First Baptist Church with her husband and youngest daughter. She enjoys reading, watching documentaries, kayaking, enjoying nature and continuing to learn how Charlotte Mason's principles are truths that nurture a full and beautiful life for all ages.
Rachel Rucker - 1st Grade Tutor
Rachel Rucker is our first grade tutor. Her life long "dream job" and prayer was to become a wife and mommy. God answered that prayer out of high school and she has been married to her husband Kelly for 17 years. Together they have 3 girls, Abby(16) , Belle(12), and Lila(10).
Rachel has always loved working with children. She first began teaching Sunday School while still in high school and continued to serve as primary Sunday school teacher for over 18 years. She began homeschooling her children 7 years ago and has been praying for the right fit for her family. Rachel is grateful for the opportunity to serve at Blue Willow in the first grade tutor position. She is looking forward to being able to witness how each of her students are "fearfully and wonderfully made".
Priscilla Bell - 2nd/3rd Grade Tutor
(See above)
Priscilla is the founder and serves in an administrative role by making big picture decisions and keeping the vision alive, but she also serves as 2nd/3rd grade tutor! She took some time off from being in the classroom to serve as sole Director of Blue Willow for a few years, but when Lisa came on board, she was able to return to her favorite part of this work... teaching and learning alongside her students!
Donna Lane serves as 4th grade tutor for Blue Willow Tutorial. She is married to Larry Lane and lives in Riceville with her husband and two daughters, Rebekah (16) and Charis (14). She has also raised four sons, ages 19-27, and now is the proud Mimi of 4 grandchildren. Donna has homeschooled her children for more than 15 years. She has also taught Sunday School and served as Children's Church Director. Currently, she is Nursery Director and Ladies' Ministry leader at Mountainside Community Bible Church in Etowah where she and her family attend. The Charlotte Mason method of teaching inspired Donna from the beginning of her homeschool journey and is what "made her love homeschooling." She loves living books and teaching children to love learning!
Donna Lane - 4th Grade Tutor
Staci Rivera - 5th Grade Tutor
Staci Rivera serves as our 5th grade tutor. She lives in Cleveland TN with her husband Luis and two daughters, Aubrie (13) and Adrianna (9), who attend Blue Willow as students. In response to the calling God placed in her heart, she began homeschooling her children in 2015. She first discovered Miss Mason's educational philosophy in 2017 and has continued to be inspired by her ever since. Her greatest desire in life to serve the Lord, humbly and faithfully, in any way He sees fit. Staci is also very active in her church and serves as the Adventurers Club Director at the Ooltewah SDA Church. A lifelong learner herself, she enjoys a wide variety of hobbies including traveling, baking, crafting, gardening, and home improvement projects.
Courtney Church - 6th/7th Grade Tutor
Courtney Church serves as the 6th/7th grade tutor. She has been married to her husband Micah for 13 years. They have a daughter named Olivia (9) and a son named Jack (5). She has a bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Childhood Development from Lee University. She helped lead the 2nd-6th grade youth ministry at her previous church, Old North Abby, before moving to Athens from Knoxville. Her family now attends Hillcrest Church in Etowah. They enjoy being outside in nature together as much as possible. Courtney is excited about walking alongside her students in their educational journey and helping them see God's love and purpose for each of their lives!
Shanan Holcomb - 8th/9th Grade Tutor
Shanan Coe-Holcomb is the 8th/9th grade tutor at Blue Willow. She is ecstatic about the opportunity to learn and grow with each child in her class. She has two daughters, Isabella (10) and Maddie (7) and she has been married to her wonderful husband, Patrick, for 11 years. They attend Community Fellowship together with their girls. They love to travel and camp in different State parks around Tennessee where they hike and enjoy nature unplugged. Shanan received her certification as an Herbalist from Herbal Academy. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, gardening, canning, reading, hiking, biking, and studying herbs. She is a firm believer that you can never have too much knowledge and that she can learn as much from her students as they can from her.
Blue Willow Tutorial operates as a Tennessee non-profit and 501c3 with a Board of Directors.
Interested in joining the Blue Willow Tutorial Team? Please contact us directly at info@bluewillowtutorial.com