Christie joined Middle Way in 2021-2022 to serve as the Interim Lead Teacher for the 6- and 7-year-olds of the Wild Horses. In 2022-2023, Christie is working with the 10-, 11- and 12-year olds of the Garudas, where she is leading math and co-teaching humanities and science with Zak Carey. Christie’s 17 years of experience in progressive education and as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner has been a tremendous resource for Middle Way School, where she has been an anchor not just for students but for staff as well. As someone who recently observed her class immediately noted upon leaving, “Her classroom management skills are incredible.” Christie will be on parental leave for the 2023-2024 school year. 

I believe in the power of play in nature as a pathway to embodiment and a foundation for learning motivated by wonder. Throughout my fifteen years as an elementary school educator, I have found play to be the catalyst, if not the source, for children making meaning of both their internal and external world. I uphold the vision that all children have the need, and the right, to feel safe, heard, seen and experience a sense of belonging. From this place, I am able to support a learning community that honors this deep commitment to children where joy can manifest, and the desire to create and flourish naturally follows. My approach to teaching encourages and supports children in genuine inquiries that inspire a deeper capacity for empathy, reflection, curiosity, flexibility, and a sense of agency and empowerment.

I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Childhood Education and a Master’s Degree in Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Special Education. I am a New York State Certified teacher, yoga instructor, poet and most recently a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in training who works with both children and adults.

Before joining The Middle Way team, I worked within progressive education, independent and public, at The Roberts Field School in Brooklyn, NY and The Neighborhood School in Manhattan, NY respectively. Prior to that, I began my teaching career as a NYC public school teacher in the Fordham section of the Bronx where I completed a masters and wrote my thesis on Mediation and At Risk Youth. It was through this experience that I found my way to progressive education, contemplative practices and commitment to social justice through creative expression and embodiment as pathways for learning, unlearning, healing and transformation. 

I am a somewhat recent transplant to Woodstock by way of Brooklyn and so when not teaching, I can be found feeding my own creativity by making a home and adventuring with my partner HP, writing, moving my body, making art, reading and spending time with people who fill my heart and make me belly laugh.