1-2 Faculty
Selma Neel
First and Second Grade Teacher
Selma is originally from the Asheville area, and her teaching style is inspired by the nature, magic, and creative expression that characterized her own childhood. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education from UNC Chapel Hill and completed her student teaching in North Carolina and in Hamburg, Germany. She taught kindergarten on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba before returning to the mountains and and working in first grade at Black Mountain Primary School. She joined the Odyssey community, teaching first grade, in 2017.
Outside of school, she likes to read, hike, sew, and paint. She takes any opportunity she can to share her interest in the arts with her students. She also loves to travel and explore different cultures and seeks to bring a multicultural perspective into the classroom.
Craig Deutsch
First and Second Grade Teacher
Craig moved to Asheville from Atlanta, GA. He is passionate about emerging mathematics and early childhood development. His professional development projects have focused on cultivating grit and empowering students to develop strong self-organizational skills using visual organizers and cues.
Craig enjoys spending time with his daughter, reading, gardening, listening to vinyl records, and spending time in nature. He collects artwork to mat and frame as a creative outlet.
Craig received a B.S. in Early Childhood Education at the College of Charleston. He has worked in the preschool at the Early Childhood Development Center at CofC as well as at Etz Chaim Synagogue’s preschool in Roswell, GA. Craig has been teaching in Odyssey classrooms since 2013.
Current News & Events
7th grade students’ April Fools prank for the win! 🐰 @nickiminaj You aced today’s participation grade. 😆#aprilfools #prank #zoompranks #zoomparty #middleschool #k12 #asheville #ashevillenc #individuality
Stronger Together 💪 How are you staying connected with your community these days? ✨#middleschool #heartstrings #girlsquad #allthebrightplaces #stayhomestaysafe #stayconnected #k12 #integraleducation #holisticeducation #emotionalliteracy #remotelearning #remoteodyssey #onlineodyssey
Our Business Manager and extraordinary human @herby.knitter inspired us to make violet syrup this weekend. 💜 Odyssey faculty, staff, parents, and students are staying connected in beautiful ways this spring. 🌱 How was your weekend? #stayconnected #stayhome #stayhealthy #violets #makestuff #kidsofinstagram #integraleducation #holisticeducation #naturalbeauty #weekendvibes #spring #lifeinthetimeofcorona #asheville #ashevillenc #kidsgrowbetteroutside
We love you! 🤗 This message from our kindergarten teacher inspired a spontaneous tv hug from one of her students. We’re so glad her mom captured this moment to share. 🥰 We hope you can hug the ones you love - virtually or in quarantine together - and share the joy this weekend while staying home and staying healthy. ☀️ #stayhealthy #stayhome #virtualhug #virtuallearning #kindergarten #k12 #asheville #integraleducation #holisticeducation #emotionalliteracy #teachersofinstagram #remotelearning #remoteodyssey #onlineodyssey #odysseyspirit #happyfriday #lifeinthetimeofcorona
Today, high school math teacher @little.yost led us in our first remote meeting Best Practice presentation! We wrote mathy poetry and were reminded to celebrate how often we teach from a place of “best.” #strongertogether #bestpractices #teachersofinstagram #theloveliest #remotelearning #remotework #stayconnected #stayhome #inspire #collaborate #writepoetry #integraleducation #k12 #asheville #ashevillenc #onlineodyssey #holisticeducation #mathteacher #emotionalliteracy #lifeinthetimeofcorona
Today, our 7th grade language arts class hosted three real live “Atticus” lawyers who work or have worked in the criminal justice system around the country. We used Zoom to have a panel discussion about the discrimination present in today’s world, the glimmers of hope or “baby steps” (as Miss Maudie would say) of progress, and the ways culture, institutions, and individuals interact to create just or unjust outcomes. Big thanks to our panelists with big hearts 👩🏻💻👩🏼💻👨🏻💻(@alrollins000 / Dennis, @hillsmissme, Allison) for helping us better understand our world and our reading of #tokillamockingbird ❤️ #seventhgrade #languagearts #integraleducation #remotelearning #remoteodyssey #onlineodyssey #lawyersofinstagram #socialjustice while #socialdistancing
Coach Carly! Look at that motivating face! We are working to find the balance of online learning with physical exercise and time outside. 🌳🏋🏽♂️Also, Loom is a great teaching tool! #getmotivated #moveyourbody #physed #welovecoachcarly #hashtagforyourteacher #teachersofinstagram #remotelearning #remoteodyssey #onlineodyssey #integraleducation #k12 #fourthgrade #asheville #ashevillenc
This remote hip hop dance lesson video intro from @therealaquaboogy is so sweet. We are loving all the ways our community is staying connected; the way our teachers are keeping students engaged, moving, and creative; the way parents are supporting their kids and cheering on our teachers; and all while we’re figuring out how to live in this new world order and breathe through the weight of change. 💃🏻 Don’t forget to dance. #dance #dancersofinstagram #hiphop #middleschool #k12 #remotelearning #himom #lifeinthetimeofcorona #integraleducation #creative #collaborative #learningcommunity #asheville #ashevillenc #remoteodyssey #onlineodyssey
Look at this sweet #remoteschool set up! Morning Meetings help us stay connected. 💖 #thirdgradeteacher #thirdgrade #morningroutine #morningmeeting #remotework #positivediscipline #classmeeting #stayconnected #lifeinthetimeofcorona #integraleducation #k12 #asheville #ashevillenc #remoteodyssey #onlineodyssey
Those are three hilariously befuddled faces. We’re doing a lot of planning and tech tool training today to prepare for our first day of remote classes tomorrow! 💻😷 We are so grateful for resilient, brilliant faculty who pivoted on a dime and did lightening fast research; grateful for an understanding and supportive parent community; and can’t wait to see our students’ faces again tomorrow when we launch! 🚀 Let’s do this thing! #teachersofinstagram #zoom #remotelearning #remotework #technology #coronaschool #asheville #ashevillenc #k12 @thatsxelantscience #remoteodyssey #onlineodyssey
1-2 Teachers
Featured Student Work
