our extraordinary educators

Our faculty and staff have a personal desire for giving their best each day. Our teachers have been carefully selected because they bring valuable life experiences and a passion for teaching into our classrooms and instill a desire for life-long learning in our students. And the notable, low turnover of our faculty and staff confirms we’re doing something right. It means our teachers are happy and as a result, our students are, too.

Our educators stand out nationally for deeply understanding the needs of their students. They keep up with the best research-based teaching methods by attending professional development programs. As a result, they are expert instructors and highly skilled in both the students’ intellectual development and the curriculum. At St. Anne’s School, we go a step further by regularly bringing in outside speakers and educators to reinforce our teaching philosophy.

Our teachers use engaging academics, a positive community, effective management, and expertise in developmental awareness to create a learning environment that is age-appropriate and responsive to students’ strengths and needs. Teachers are trained in and follow the guiding principles of Responsive Classroom, ensuring students develop academic, social, and emotional skills. According to UVA’s Curry School of Education, this approach shows stronger academic achievement, improved teacher-student interactions, and higher quality instruction.

Guiding Principles of Responsive Classroom

  • Teaching social and emotional skills is as important as teaching academic content.
  • How we teach is as important as what we teach.
  • How we work together as adults to create a safe, joyful, and inclusive school environment is as important as our individual contribution.
  • What we know and believe about our students —individually, culturally, developmentally—informs how we teach those students.
  • Partnering with families—knowing them and valuing their contributions—is as important as knowing the children we teach.