Meet the Teachers
Rebecca Norwood
Director and Teacher
"It takes a village to raise a child”, felt especially true for Rebecca who was raised in Alaska by her grandparents and father. At an early age she developed a passion for children and the arts. Rebecca received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Washington where she developed ideas to encourage creativity in children. She then went on to earn her Master’s in Teaching from the University of Washington. Rebecca has 17+ years professional experience in education and taught Pre-K through second grade at Giddens, a school dedicated to anti-bias work and educating the whole child. Rebecca opened Sprout Preschool in her Columbia City home in 2009. She’s committed to creating a space where children love to learn. Rebecca lives with her husband and two daughters and spends her free time boxing and dancing.
Lorraine Lau
Assistant Director and Teacher
Lorraine Lau has been teaching at Sprout for over 6 years and became assistant director in 2023. Combining her love for working with children and art, she strives to create a safe preschool environment for creative, social-emotional discovery and play. As a certified Positive Discipline Early Childhood Educator, she is passionate about how positive discipline can support children and teachers in the classroom and families in their parenting journey. Lorraine grew up in Silverdale, WA, and had her first teaching experience at age 14 as a ballet instructor. Lorraine studied sociology and dance at the University of Washington followed by a decade-long career as a professional contemporary dancer. She has worked with children– infants to high schoolers– all over the region as a dance and creative movement instructor, nanny, tutor, assistant classroom teacher, and after-school programs coordinator, to name a few. Lorraine currently lives in South Seattle with her wife. She loves eating delicious food, making all kinds of art, gathering with friends and family, and spending time in nature.
Sam Cutsinger
Teacher
Sam Cutsinger moved from a small farm in Indiana to Washington in 2021. While in the Midwest they studied at Ivy Tech, taking human resource and general courses. Sam first started working with kids while in high school, helping to run basketball camps for younger kids. They worked as a lead teacher at Kindercare and took up a seasonal position at the Hands-on Children’s Museum in Olympia. Sam enjoyed running science and messy art projects with the children! They are eager to seek out more education aligning with positive discipline and the importance of social/emotional health. Sam lives in Auburn with their Husband, Eli, and two cats. In their free time, they like to enjoy nature, watch movies, and nerd out at anime conventions!
Megan Russel
Teacher
Megan Russell has lived in Tacoma, WA most of her life, moving from Gilroy, CA. She is currently attending Tacoma Community College studying elementary education. She started working with children in high school when she would babysit for her sister and family friends. She spent one summer volunteering as a camp counselor and has taken on many babysitting jobs since. Megan found her passion for teaching after having her son Theo in 2021 and finding Sprout after moving back to Washington. She is eager to continue her education to become a better teacher and looks forward to providing a safe and positive classroom to all students. In her free time, Megan loves to do crafts, grow her plant collection, attend concerts, and spend lots of outside time with her son.
LYN DILLMAN, M.A.
Lyn Dillman is a certified Parent Coach through PCI® of Bellevue and a Certified Positive Parenting Educator. She has 20 plus years of teaching experience including preschool through 4th grade. Lyn has taught Positive Discipline classes at Sprout to both teachers and families. It’s great to have her as a support person for our community!