Staff | Board
At Ambleside, we believe that the best way to help families flourish is to implement the method and philosophy of Charlotte Mason in the classroom.
Staff | Board
At Ambleside, we believe that the best way to help families flourish is to implement the method and philosophy of Charlotte Mason in the classroom.
Children’s lessons should provide material for their mental growth, should exercise the several powers of their minds, should furnish them with fruitful ideas, and should afford them knowledge, really valuable for its own sake, accurate, and interesting, of the kind that the child may recall as a man with profit and pleasure.
— CHARLOTTE M. MASON —
Children’s lessons should provide material for their mental growth, should exercise the several powers of their minds, should furnish them with fruitful ideas, and should afford them knowledge, really valuable for its own sake, accurate, and interesting, of the kind that the child may recall as a man with profit and pleasure.
CHARLOTTE M. MASON
Learn More about the consistent philosophy of education at Ambleside Waco.
Staff & Board of Trustees
Mr. Justin Perry
Founder
Head of School
Board of Trustees, Chair
Justin has been in the Christian educational world for 16 years. During this time, he has been either a teacher or administrator in six Christian schools spanning four countries, mainly in positions of academic and curriculum leadership. He began his education career in his hometown of Fort Myers, Florida in 2006 before attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary the next year to pursue Masters degrees in Christian School Education and Missiology. From 2010 to 2018, Justin served in Christian international schools in Japan, mainland China, and Hong Kong before returning stateside to North Carolina to teach at a classical Christian school there. In 2019, he and his family moved back to Waco, Texas to pursue an academic leadership position at a local classical school.
Justin, his wife Amy, and their two children enjoy being outdoors, especially hiking and camping at national and state parks around the country, as well as reading, creating music, and traveling just about anywhere.
Ms. Leah Caldwell
Co-Founder
Faculty
Board of Trustees, Secretary
Leah has always loved children and families and has worked with children for over 20 years in various church and tutoring capacities. She has home educated her children using Charlotte Mason’s philosophy and methods for 12 years and is actively involved in Waco’s Mason homeschooling community. She co-leads a Charlotte Mason book study group and a Mason homeschooling co-op in which she has taught citizenship, Shakespeare, brush drawing, and nature study. She is thrilled to serve Waco’s families in her role as Ambleside Waco’s co-founder and Director of Instruction/classroom teacher.
Leah and her husband Joshua have four children, ages 21, 17, 15, and 12, and a soon-to-be daughter in love. She finds it difficult to name personal interests because she finds fascination in so many areas of life, but reading, writing, traveling, education, and old houses bring her special joy. She holds a writing certificate from the Institute of Children’s Literature, an AA in Elementary Education from Houston Community College, and a BA in Great Texts of the Western Tradition from Baylor University.
Ms. Lisa Osborn
Board of Trustees, Treasurer
Lisa and her husband Bill have four grown children and 6 grandchildren under the age of 4, with one more on the way. Together they own and manage a long-term rental house business, among other business adventures.
Lisa is currently the deacon of Women’s discipleship at Grace Church Waco, implementing and overseeing the women’s ministry there. She also serves the broader church community of Waco as a leader in Bible Study Fellowship (a global in-depth Bible study) and has served on the board of Mattaw Ministries, a Kenyan ministry that houses orphaned and neglected children, for the last 12 years.
Lisa and Bill’s two younger children attended an Ambleside school in southwest Texas, and she is very passionate about Ambleside School International’s mission, having witnessed the beautiful effects it has had in her own children’s lives. Lisa is honored to be a part of bringing Ambleside to Waco and is committed to serving Ambleside Waco’s children and their families.
Teachers
Ambleside Waco will begin looking in the fall of 2023 for faculty members who are creative, thoughtful, engaged learners with broad interests and educational knowledge.
