TAYLOR HEASLEY ’12

An SSSAS lifer, Taylor Heasley has come full circle from junior kindergarten student to teaching our 3-year-old Early Saints! She loves starting her day with the youngest Saints and ending it coaching varsity softball and tennis. Taylor grew up with dreams of becoming an architect, like Frank Lloyd Wright, and her knack for interior design is evident in her classroom. With fond memories of her junior kindergarten days, ARTStravaganza, and her kindergarten buddy, Taylor has a special ability to connect with her little Saints. She feels her early days at the Lower School were a vital part of shaping who she is as a person and a teacher. Taylor is creative, empathic, open-minded—and competitive. She thrives on the fast-paced game and team atmosphere on the softball field, and views sports as an outlet for wellness, healthy competition, and joy. Taylor has a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Ohio Wesleyan University and a master’s of education in social foundations of education from the University of Virginia. Her parents encouraged her first education course, but once she learned about the Reggio Emilia approach to early education she was hooked. Taylor is very interested in how education and society coincide. She recently went to Reggio Emilia, Italy through a Holden Summer Grant. She says learning Reggio first-hand–experiencing the educational ateliers, student work, and educator documentation–was truly one of a kind. Taylor loves beautifully illustrated children’s books and has a collection of them signed by the authors and illustrators. She’s a big fan of the Smithsonian National Book Festival. If she wasn’t teaching, she would definitely be working in a museum. She had amazing internships with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center. Outside of school Taylor flexes her muscles as a photographer documenting her travels and taking family portraits—and as a needlepointer!  She started doing needlepoint at the age of eight, now paints her own canvases, and just started a business named after her grandma. If she’s in the mood for a cognitive challenge, she might break out a jigsaw puzzle. Taylor’s favorite movie is “Remember the Titans,” because it tells the story of a team in her hometown coming together, and she’s crazy about Amy Sherman Palladino, so she has watched “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Gilmore Girls” multiple times. If she has an urge to dance, anything from “Mamma Mia!” will get her up and moving. A huge foodie, she enjoys spending her weekends trying a new restaurant (especially Thai, Sushi, and Afghan), doing something creative, or just relaxing before another round begins with her adorable, exuberant Saints. Taylor says 3-year-olds are the best colleagues you can have as they have a natural desire to learn, take on the world, and explore anything you throw at them. One day a student asked if she had any kids at home. After she said, “No,” he said, “Is it because we are annoying?” Annoying, no, inspiring, yes!