Life & Work with Emily Barnes of Hendersonville, TN

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Barnes

Hi Emily, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my career as a classroom teacher. I received my Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and Learning Behavior Specialist with a concentration in Spanish and taught 1st and 2nd grade before moving into school leadership. Prior to moving to TN in 2021, I served as an Assistant Principal at a K-5 elementary school and a Student Services Coordinator at Central Office in Dunlap, IL. My family and I had always dreamed of moving out of IL and when we first visited TN in 2017, we fell in love. We knew eventually this is where we wanted to live and raise our family. We moved in June 2021 and I started my career in Sumner County Schools as an Instructional Coach. In November 2021, I was hired to open a brand new middle school called Liberty Creek Middle School in Gallatin, TN and serve as the Assistant Principal. Middle school was brand new territory for me! I love working with middle school students so much, but I also missed the energy and creativity that working with the early elementary students brought to me for so many years. It was over Winter Break, January 2023, that Little Wonder Workshop TN was born. When we first moved, I had looked for sign language “mommy and me” classes to take with my youngest daughter just as I had done for a few years with my older daughter back in IL, and I couldn’t find anything. So I decided to see what I could come up with! Little Wonder Workshop allows me to work with toddlers to early elementary kiddos and their families in a fun, interactive and educational ways and also, serves as a relaxing, creative outlet for me! The best part is that my daughters are able to come to LWW events and participate with their friends. Little Wonder Workshop events vary and depending on the age of the wanderer, include elements of art, sign language, music, exploration, and Spanish. Little Wonder Workshop loves collaborating and supporting other local small businesses in the Hendersonville and Gallatin areas.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The support for Little Wonder Workshop right off the bat was amazing! So many families in our area are seeking unique interactive experiences for their little ones. The biggest challenge has been time. For me, my top priorities include being a mom and wife and serving as a full time Assistant Principal. Therefore, unfortunately, Little Wonder Workshop takes a back seat during the school year and we are not able to provide as many opportunities as I would like!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Getting to serve as an educator is not just a “job”. Like most educators, being in schools and working with children and their families is a passion and a calling. For me, school has always been my favorite place to be. When some kids would cry because summer break was over, I was crying because summer break was starting. I loved school and still do! Professionally as an Assistant Principal, I am most proud of the culture we have at our school, Liberty Creek Middle. We truly put our students and staff and the relationships we have with them first. We believe in putting in the extra effort to make our school a place where kids and teachers want to spend every day while still maintaining high academic expectations. Our kids know when they walk into our doors, they are loved and they are valued. With Little Wonder Workshop, I am proud of how it has filled a gap in our community in a unique way. Workshops are engaging and educational and also just fun for kids and parents! I am also proud of how Little Wonder Workshop supports other local businesses and highlights the amazing work so many of our community members are doing every day.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
What first inspired Little Wonder Workshop is a local organization back home in Illinois called Communication Junction. When my oldest daughter was 6 months old, I started taking “mommy and me” sign language classes with her. She was signing before she could even talk and communicating her needs with us. It was a game changer! We also just loved doing these classes together and really felt it helped us bond. Communication Junction was a huge inspiration for starting Little Wonder Workshop. I also have to credit my husband for always supporting my wild and crazy ideas and just letting me “go for it”!

Pricing:

• Prices vary from $5-$25 per workshop depending on the activities and supplies
• Little Wonder Workshop 6 week parent-child classes are a one time fee of $115

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @littlewonderworkshoptn
• Facebook: Little Wonder Workshop TN