Tana grew up in Massachusetts and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Massachusetts plus 180 education credits on top of her degree in a School of Differentiated Learning program. She moved to Aspen in 1983 after starting her career at a Title 1 school in Florida. Tana spent 35 years teaching Kindergarten and First Grade at Aspen Elementary School and started at Aspen Country Day School in 2023.
Which ACDS core values is most meaningful to you, and why?
The core values at ACDS (character, respect, responsibility, community, and perseverance) are the parts of how we guide students. The depth of these values can be exhibited by how I show up as a teacher to my peers, my students, and my community as a teacher, friend, mentor, and learner. My core values have always been centered around: nurturing, empathy, guidance, and learning through teams of people that work and live together whether that be at a school or my community.
Where’s your favorite place in the world?
Skiing Aspen Highlands on a powder day!
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
“I have heard such great things about you.” This compliment reflects how my efforts to live and work in this community reflects my heart of love through not only teaching but also in the relationships I have created through my community as a result of teaching.
If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
Incarnation into a younger me but with all the knowledge earned over the years still intact.
If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, who would it be? Why?
Michelle Obama because she served as a role model for women and worked as an advocate for education, poverty awareness, nutrition, healthy eating, and physical activity.
What’s your Achilles’ heel?
My Achilles heel goes deep. I am wounded from the loss of my own child. Grief never ends but it also reflects my heartfelt belief in doing my best for all the people and relationships in my life. I continually work on shifting my mindset to be better to all those around me, and to never take for granted the love and laughter of each day, because you never know when that person is gone from you forever. It is about considering the sacredness of all relationships in my life.