Blue Sol Yoga Virginia

My background is in community-based and school-based counseling. With its foundation in human development, counseling is essentially about bearing witness to the change process in ourselves and those with whom we work. Serendipitously, Blue Mountain School’s model of Contemplative Progressive education is also grounded in values and practices that facilitate change and growth, and the model asks that everyone in our school community—parents, students, and teachers—support each other as we learn and grow from our experiences. I cannot imagine a better opportunity to bring my counseling background into practice in a daily way, than to be working at Blue Mountain School, facilitating change, growth, and learning in our students and in myself and our staff.

I am happy to be focusing my attention and energy to co-create (on a foundation that already has been established by those who came before) a small-scale educational system that fosters the development of loving human relationships, self-awareness, and self-efficacy—all of which are things that kids (and all of us!) need to be at peace in the world.

I am a native of Germany, and I settled in the New River Valley nearly 20 years ago. I found my true Heimat right here in Floyd. I have a degree in early childhood development and education from New River Community College, and I have been working in the early childhood field for about 15 years with various age groups. While my training is valuable, my experience as a teacher and as the mother of a college-bound daughter and two grown sons has taught me a lot about children that the textbooks left out. I strongly believe that children are capable collaborators in their own learning process: children are people, too! They deserve respectful and caring adults to guide them on their journey as they learn about themselves and others, and the world around them.

In addition to teaching, I also am an active member of the Floyd Humane Society and provide foster care for puppies and dogs.

I am very happy to be joining the Blue Mountain School community!

I’ve been teaching in and out of the classroom for nearly 25 years ago. I’ve worked as a preschool teacher and an art studio teacher, I've managed a Creative ReUse Center, and I taught and learned in my own Homeschooling environment with my children and a few others. I find my greatest inspirations come from the environment around me—in nature, through non-traditional materials, the arts and especially through the beautiful wonder of early childhood.