As an alum of CWS (Class of 2013), Tess has a deep connection to and intuitive understanding of Waldorf educational philosophy, and she continues to learn more every year through reading and connecting with a variety of mentors in Waldorf education. Tess holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences with a concentration in Education from George Mason University, which allowed her to explore many areas of interest, including lifespan development and best practices for educating twice exceptional learners.

Tess has always had a passion for teaching and has been teaching in some capacity or another since she was a teenager, working as a camp councelor-in-training at the Living Earth School for several years and offering guitar and knitting lessons throughout high school and college. After college, she worked as an all-grades floating teaching assistant and a Special Education paraprofessional at a local elementary school for two years before joining the CWS faculty as the Handwork Teacher in 2021.

Outside of work, Tess can usually be found relaxing with an audiobook and a handwork project of her own, or spending quality time outdoors with her family.