Talia is a founding teacher at Middle Way, having led the 6 and 7 year-olds of the Wild Horses during our first 3 1/2 years. She is a seasoned educator with a natural instinct for connecting with early learners. We love her attention to detail and her deep care for the environment and all the beings in it. Talia is currently on parental leave.

My teaching practice is grounded in four core values: inquiry, play, creativity, and reflection. All children have an innate desire and ability to learn, and it is my joy as an educator to nurture that instinct by guiding and supporting children as they grow and develop throughout our time together in their educational journey. I have worked with children since 2011 as a preschool, elementary, and extracurricular teacher, and have taught at Middle Way School since its opening year in 2018. My undergraduate degree is in Education Philosophy from Green Mountain College in Vermont, with a focus in creative expression and experiential learning, and I have a Master’s of Arts in Teaching Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Concordia University in Oregon.

When a child attends school they should be able to delight in their curiosity, exploration, and experiences. The classroom, whether indoors or out, should be a place for curiosity to flourish, for children to explore their senses and express themselves through nature, art, music, and play. I believe in being present, encouraging, and supportive as I guide children along the way in their educational pursuits and personal journeys. My intention is to create an environment in which each child has the support to fuel their natural curiosity about the world, to be confident in their own unique self as well as their place in our community, and, in years to come, never lose that inner child’s love of learning.

Outside of teaching, I feed my own playful nature by spending time outdoors on land and water with my husband and our dogs, knitting and crocheting, dabbling in vegetable fermentation, and singing passionately during mundane and humble daily activities.