MY TIME KIDS ACADEMY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Lead Teacher in the Bumblebee
April Gunn is the lead teacher in the Bumblebee classroom. Ms. April graduated from Harding University in 2016 with a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education, and again in 2017 with a M.Ed. in Literacy and Reading. Upon graduation, the NETX native began her teaching career in Austin as a 4th grade teacher at Brentwood Christian School. While there, she served as a curriculum designer and team leader. Soon after moving to Austin, April made a best friend. A year or so later, they accidentally fell in love with each other at the same time. A few months after that, she married the Harry to her Sally. They are proud dog parents to two fur babies.
April has always imagined her life as a musical, and is almost always singing whatever song pops into her head and heart. She loves crocheting and putting furniture together, and hopes that, one day, she will fulfill her lifelong dream of competing on Survivor.
April loves being a part her newest teaching adventure with My Time, and can't wait to share her love for FUN learning with her sweet Bumblebees!
known as "Miss Lorie" to her students, is a native Austinite and has over 25 years experience teaching children in elementary and preschool. During her time at The University of Texas, she taught young children dance and gymnastics and found she had a true love for teaching. Today, Lorie has established a reputation for high caliber instruction designed to maximize a broad learning experience. She believes the role of a teacher is to assist children in learning and self-discovery through movement, creative expression, and a variety of hands-on experiences that tap into the natural curiosity of children.
Lorie has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas in Applied Learning & Development with a specialization Reading and English as a Second Language (ESL). Lorie is an active volunteer in the Lakeway area and enjoys spending time with her husband and three active sons. Her hobbies include photography, fitness, camping, boating, and travel.
I am Kris Sandahl and I will be leading the butterfly class on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday this year. I started teaching at My Time as the music specialist in 2019. I have a Masters Degree in Music where I studied Opera and Music Theater. For over 20 years, my passion for teaching has been working with young children with a focus on development rather than performance. I ran a thriving Kindermusik business and private music studio in Southern California and taught elementary music until my husband Jim and I moved to Austin 16 years ago to raise our children close to family. My oldest daughter Helena is now pursuing her dreams at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a sophomore in Upstate New York. We adopted our 17-year-old daughter, Julia, from Siberia, when she was six years old and it is through this experience that I learned about brain development, delays, trauma, ADHD, autism spectrum, home schooling and lots of patience! Today she's a bright and funny Junior at LTHS! I continue to run a private music studio at our home in Lakeway called Studio 405 where I teach voice, guitar and piano. Outside the classroom, I have fun with my animals, photography, hiking, natural health, and reading. I could not be more excited to be teaching your children in the pre-k classroom this year in addition to continuing as My Time's music specialist.
Kris has dedicated her entire adult life to education with experience ranging from pre-k to professional development for educators of all grades. Earning a degree in Applied Learning and Development with a Reading Specialization from The University of Texas at Austin, she began her career teaching third and fourth grade in AISD. She went on to manage the professional development department for the nation's largest independent educator's organization. She has additional training in leadership development, gifted and talented education, and the International Baccalaureate program.