Courtney Fincher
PreK Director and Team Teacher
Courtney Fincher is the director of the Odyssey Pre-Kindergarten program. She values the opportunity to nurture children through the rapid growth of early childhood and she believes it is never too early to instill the concepts of self-knowing, communication, compassion, and community.
Courtney strives to support the children in developing self-confidence in balance with interdependence. It is her goal that children leaving her class will have a core understanding of themselves and the skills that will serve them in every aspect of life. Courtney values working in a school where children can experience the developmental spectrum from early childhood through high school.
Courtney holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of West Virginia and has extended her coursework in the field of Early Education. She carries her love of service, psychology, and healing arts into her relationships with the children.
She is particularly interested in Interpersonal Neurobiology (the study of how relationships shape our brains) and what creates resiliency. She trained in Circle of Security in 2017 and now offers classes to parents on creating secure attachments. She attended the Interpersonal Neurobiology conference lead by Dr. Dan Siegel in April of 2019. She is finishing her third year of Somatic Experiencing training to deepen her understanding of the nervous system and regulation.
In harmony with the Odyssey vision, she sees a bright future for the children she teaches today, and looks forward to seeing what will happen as our special school community grows.
Courtney is engaged in our local early education professional community in a variety of ways. She has served on The AB Tech advisory committee for their Early Education program, was a NEXT Emerging Leader participant, and is a graduate of the Early Childcare Directors Institute. In 2015 she was awarded National Recognition for Childcare Excellence.
Current News & Events
Today’s in-service began with “gutters,” a team building challenge led by our HS Environmental Justice teacher... Watch this with the sound on! #learningthroughplay #gutters #collaboration #collaborationovercompetition #worktogether #professionaldevelopment #getoutside #physics #physicsarefun #success #teachersofinstagram #teachers #asheville #ashevillenc #integraleducation #integral #school #k12
Here’s a peek into the #creative #collaboration our teachers engage to support each other in discovering best practices. 👩🏻🏫👩🏽🏫👨🏼🏫👨🏿🏫 These are notes from a peer observation (inspired by one teacher, used by another to support yet another) tracking a teacher’s movement throughout a lesson. #peersupport #collaborationovercompetition #reflect #bestpractices #teachersofinstagram #weloveourjob #observe #teach #k12 #integraleducation #leadingbyexample #ashevillenc
Est. 2008. @odysseyhighschool students are outside our school walls EVERY. WEEK. #highschool -ers mentor younger students, study and organize, speak out, are supported by #mentor #teachers, and pursue their dreams after graduation. See for yourself: OPEN HOUSE this THURSDAY @6:30pm. #asheville #ashevillenc #education #integraleducation #k12 #openhouse #schoolswithoutwalls #learnoutside #learnbydoing
Waving hello to 2020! Looking for some inspiration for the new year? Check out “Doing Authentic Science” - Episode 10 of our podcast! #getreal #science #highschoolteachers #podcast #integraleducation #education #k12 #creative #stem #asheville #ashevillenc #bulletinboard #arms #hands #lendmeahand #inspiration #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #hello2020
Happy Holidays! Love, Odyssey ❤️
Thank you for a wonderful Festival of Light 2019! 🕯 We sure did celebrate all the warmth and brightness of our community! #festivaloflight #keepartalive #dance #music #theater #lighttheworld #arteducation #integraleducation #creative #collaborative #learnthroughplay #performance #community #wintercelebration #ashevile #ashevillenc #k12 #highschool
Does @thatsxelantscience look she’s on vacation? That’s just a filter. BUT she’s got a vacay-mindset when she’s making time for self care. Listen to her tricks of the trade for educators on the latest episode of Best Practices for Education. Link in bio. ☺️ #podcast #podcasting #teachersofinstagram #educators #selfcare #selfcareforteachers #integral #wholeperson #holistic #integraleducation #asheville #ashevillenc #k12
Positively Odyssey is TONIGHT! Join us in celebrating integral education with the @resonantrogues at @bmcmuseum downtown. It’s going to be real swanky. 💃🏻 #grownupsonly #partytime #tistheseason #celebratecommunity #integraleducation #integral #asheville #ashevillenc
Bonjou! We loved having the opportunity to welcome these musicians from Haiti to our campus today! As we enter this season of gratitude, we want to say THANKS to @leaf_community_arts for your global support of education and arts. We are so happy to partner with you! 🤩 #music #haiti #bonjou #partnership #gratitude #integraleducation #creative #collaborative #k12 #asheville #ashevillenc #globalcitizen
@odysseyhighschool juniors and seniors kick off @uncaarts ArtsFest in this morning’s Intergenerational Literature Reading with their original modernist poetry. 📝 #collaborative #creative #integraleducation #schoolwithoutwalls #highschool #k12 #ashevillenc #asheville #poetry #literature #intergenerational #inspired #modernist
Pre-K Teachers
Featured Student Work
