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Rick and Jennifer Tan -- Photo: XSiGHT

Who We Are

We are Rick and Jennifer Tan.

As a wife and husband team, we have over thirty years combined experience in education. In our journey through public school, private Waldorf school, and homeschool, we discovered that one thing was at the core of it all: for learning to be meaningful, teaching has to be regarded as an art.

And all good art starts from the heart.  While curriculum, pedagogy, and systems of education continue to evolve, it is a teacher's passion and compassion -- the stuff of the heart -- that is at the core of education, and makes teaching and learning a meaningful experience. 

At Syrendell, we teach what we are passionate about. This translates to our students young and old being engaged and loving to learn. We enjoy sharing our love of handwork, wet on wet painting, woodworking, music, drawing, and singing, as well as science, math, and language arts. In fact, we believe teaching should be an interweaving of disciplines.

The snail is our avatar, our mascot. It holds the universe and the golden mean in its shell. It is close to earth and nature. It moves at a pace that we can only hope to achieve in our fast-moving lives. So the Syrendell Snail represents the striving for savoring all the little, beautiful moments of life.

Next time a snail is crossing your garden bed, say to it: "I shall savor life. You, my friend, I shall name Syrendell the Snail!"
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"I have been so inspired by the Tan family and the creativity that emanates from their home and work. The wealth of information contained in their ebooks, videos and ecourses is truly a treasure chest. I love the handwork workshops with Jennifer. She is a great teacher, warm, thorough and easy to understand. Their breadth of wisdom and experience in homeschooling, Waldorf curriculum, music and handwork is nothing short of extraordinary. Thank you for the creative and healing inspiration that you bring to the world!"   
 - Kami McBride, Author of The Herbal Kitchen www.livingawareness.com