08/23/2025
Hello dear friends and colleagues,
It was not an easy decision to close the doors of SunRose, but thanks to the encouraging support of my family it is time to rest a bit. I’ve been teaching an average of 50 hours a week year round since 2012 which can take a toll, especially working mostly alone with small children. This amount of pushing myself has led to some scary hospital visits over the years, but now we know via recent diagnoses that autoimmune disease has had a lot to do with it. Though we are thrilled to have the mystery partially solved there are many more appointments and much rest needed to figure out how to move ahead.
Jim wanted to surprise me with this GoFundMe as a form of acknowledgment for my years of service (I’ve been teaching in many capacities since 1994, and as a Waldorf teacher since 2005) and mostly in difficult situations:
• years for a closing program (River Song Grades K-3, 2005-2008)
• an emergency Kindergarten teacher for a Waldorf Class whose venue fell through at the last minute (Mountain Star Kindergarten for Mountain Sage School 2012/2013)
• and my beloved SunRose School, planned in late 2013 but fully founded when Jim’s young children unexpectedly came to live with us full time the day of our wedding in 2014.
Stepping up for children in need of education and leadership during difficult times has been a calling for me from the start, but now it is time to rest and heal.
I’d like to encourage you if you have in any way been touched by my work over the years to please consider a gift, no matter how small or large, to the years ahead as we continue to unravel this autoimmune mystery that has caused serious health problems for me since I was first hospitalized for it in 2009. I’m so glad we are finding out about it now, but it’s going to be a long haul to get tests done, monitor my cortisol levels, establish treatment protocols, etc. No gift is too small and is deeply appreciated from the bottom of my heart.
The time has come. After decades of service to children and parents seeking Waldor… James C Likens needs your support for Ms. Tracey: A Lifetime of Dedication
