Addie joined MWS in 2019 as lead teacher for our 8- and 9-year-olds, the Dragons. Addie is an intellectual deep thinker when it comes to education. She has a complex understanding of literacy for children and is always connecting that understanding to practice with respect, patience, and kindness. She is able to hold children’s attention in a lovely way. It’s a rare skill to be soft spoken and still command respect and she can do that.

I have loved working at Middle Way these past years. It feels like coming home. To be part of a place that values children and teachers, and the community we build together is truly special. The way we approach education inspires me daily, as do the loving children we have at our school. 

I’ve known I wanted to be a teacher since I was 14 and have been dreaming of finding a community and school that shares my values as a teacher. I earned an MA.Ed with dual certification (birth to 6th grade) and a BA with a concentration in history and developmental psychology from Sarah Lawrence College. I taught 4-5th grade science at the New York City Montessori Charter School in the Bronx as well as in a 1-2nd grade multiage ICT classroom. Also in New York, I had experience in pre-K and kindergarten and 3-4th grade classrooms at The Neighborhood School and Ella Baker, where I engaged children in activities to develop math, literacy, science, and social emotional skills, contributing to my strong background in emergent curriculum, literacy, math, and play in the classroom.

I truly believe in the philosophy and pedagogy of the Middle Way School. Teaching children to be thinkers and doers will only promote positive outcomes. Having a school that empowers students will only benefit society as a whole. Setting the intention to “awaken minds” as in the term Bodhicitta and promote harmony in the classroom every day are wonderful goals to have, which Middle Way makes a priority. I believe in building an autonomous classroom, where children have a voice as well as a safe space where everyone is included and accepted. Children are naturally curious and acknowledging and fostering this in the classroom is essential. Children’s passion and drive to learn will only be enhanced when they answer their own questions through inquiry-based activities. I am committed to creating an environment that helps children achieve greatness that is inside each one of them. My love of history, science, theater, skiing, soccer, art and literature will contribute to this mission.