TSA is at the Core of Kathleen Moore ’13
Kathleen Moore first attended The Sharon Academy as a 9th grader from Hartland in the Fall of 2008. She returned as a faculty member in 2017 and is soon headed to the Harvard Graduate School of Education at the end of the 2018- 2019 school year. TSA was first her high school, then her first real-world professional experience. She will now take TSA into her future work in education as she pursues a Masters Degree in Education.
As the younger sister of a TSA alum, Kathleen was curious about how her experience at TSA would compare and contrast with her brother’s . “I could see myself at TSA based on what I had heard from him, but because he had graduated, I could have my own persona and experience high school in my own way.” Kathleen loved academics and appreciated that the faculty and staff “had a high level of content knowledge as well as willingness to support me with whatever I wanted to make happen.” Kathleen happily found students at TSA who shared her intellectual ambitions. Kathleen was also one of two TSA students on the TSA leadership committee that led the school through its rigorous NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation process. (TSA was the first school in the country to include students in the leadership of this process.)
After graduating from TSA in 2013, Kathleen majored in psychology at Wheaton College. She graduated from Wheaton a semester early, at the end of 2016, and soon rejoined TSA as a private tutor. This led to an official appointment as a para-professional at the start of the 2017-18 school year. Officially, her faculty role is now the Academic Support Program Assistant. “I returned to TSA because it was a really happy place for me and I knew I wanted a career in education. Being here has allowed me to refine my focus and identify the most appropriate role for me.”
As a faculty member, her perspective is naturally different from when she was a student. What has remained the same is that what made learning at TSA so gratifying has also defined what has made teaching at TSA gratifying. “I love the freedom I have to do what I think is most helpful. The faculty trusts me to do what I was hired to do as well as what I initiate when the situation demands. As a member of the faculty, I certainly have a greater appreciation for all the work needed to support and empower students.” Knowing, valuing and challenging students are key tenets at TSA; Kathleen’s experiences as a student and as a member of the faculty certainly reflect this ethos.
Kathleen has developed an interest in the intersection of core curricula and extra-curricular activities and has been accepted to the prestigious Harvard Graduate School of Education where she expects to study human development and psychology. During this one-year program, she will further refine her professional focus but at the moment thinks she will use her degree to pursue a position in counseling, curriculum design or academic support. “At Harvard, I hope to study the way in which education outside of classrooms…extra-curricular experiences… can support and enrich cognitive and social development. I’m also interested in the effects of social, cultural and ability identity on development.” TSA integrates a student’s activities outside the classroom with core academics to present a holistic portrait of that student. TSA also works hard to break down social, cultural and other interpersonal barriers to create a safe and diverse community. Perhaps Kathleen’s experience with this model has influenced her research goals. TSA would certainly be interested in the findings of such research.
Time will tell if Kathleen returns to TSA armed with her new degree. Whatever she ends up doing, TSA will have played a foundational role in helping her define who she is, to realize her potential, and to make a difference in the world.