Educators

Educator Statement of Commitment

The Educator Statement of Commitment for the 2012-2013 School Year is a document created by The Nest educators during our pre-planning week in July 2012. The foundation of the Statement of Commitment is The Nest’s stated beliefs and values. The intention of the document is to specify the role and expectations of educators at The [...]

Teresa Cole

Co-Founder/Administrator
In 2000, Teresa became involved in a neighborhood preschool as a parent of a one-year-old and, over the course of the next 10 years, developed a passion for early childhood education. In 2007, Ms. Cole became an employee of the school and held the position of Director of Operations. The dedication to further quality programs for the youngest children, specifically infants, was borne from these experiences. Teresa is dedicated to life-long learning and recently participated in a second study tour of the infant/toddler centers of Reggio Emilia, Italy to further her understanding of the role of nurturing care and education in children ages birth to three years.

Kristi Cameron

Co-Founder/Teacher/Pedagogical Coordinator
Kristi has nearly 20 years of experience in many different areas of education, including experience in the classroom with ages ranging from infants to adults. She has studied the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood extensively and has participated in several study tours to Reggio Emilia, Italy. Kristi is currently the Pedagogical Coordinator for Inspired Practices, a non-profit organization founded to support ongoing dialogue and thinking among local educators about the experiences of Reggio Emilia.

Mandy Palmer

Co-Founder/Teacher/Pedagogical Coordinator
Mandy has 15 years of experience as an educator and teacher of children ages 3 months through 5 years. She has spent the most recent 10 years of her experience at the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool where she has furthered her study and practice of the Reggio Emilia approach to early children education and has participated in developing curriculum for the school in her role as part of the pedagogical team.

Trisha Ward

Studio Teacher

Trisha brings with her a wealth of experience both as an educator and as a materials specialist. She will infuse the studio with her knowledge of mosaics, clay, fibers, and many other materials. She revels in the exploration that these materials lend themselves to and believes that children constantly teach her new means of discovery, creation and wonder.

Lindsay Rigling Smith

Studio Teacher
I am a true blue Aquarius who grew up in Katy, TX as the oldest child of three in a very loving and supportive family. While attending The Savannah College of Art and Design, I served as the Student Coordinator for the volunteer program Kid’s Cafe for two years, planning and supervising arts and crafts activities that appealed to both the local school-age youth as well as my own peer group. Since graduating from college after majoring in sequential art while also studying animation and illustration, I have worked in Austin, TX as a teaching assistant for groups of children ranging from infancy to four years of age. There I discovered that my favorite age group to work with are the toddlers.

Tawni Wold

I’ve always loved to read and write, and so I studied Literature and Creative Writing at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It was my nine years experience outside of and after college though -experiences as a caregiver, a tutor, an au pair and eventually a teacher – that made me realize how much I [...]