Teachers and Staff
Tammie Sarver - Director
I am joyous and grateful to be beginning another year of teaching at Blue Mountain School! I’ve been teaching in and out of the classroom for about 25 years. I’m very grateful that after a winding journey, I have found my pedagogical home in the Upper Elementary Classroom at Blue Mountain School! My original teacher training in middle school Reading and Writing workshop instilled my deep respect of student centered learning, and has fueled my entire career. I view teaching and learning with my students as an honor, joy, a challenge,and a great gift. With every age and unique learning environment, I look for ways to celebrate and inspire each child’s unique abilities, and sense of wonder. Together, we weave a rich tapestry of curiosity, work, and learning, joyfully tying in important academics that blanket a life rich with the love of learning.
I’m inspired by the philosophies of Reggio Emilia and constructivist education. I received my undergraduate education at Virginia Tech. I have a masters certification from ETSU in Emergent Inquiry and I’m proud to have attended training in Reggio Emilia, Italy. I’m dedicated to the idea of the learner as protagonist. We all learn best when the curricula is important to us and we are reminded of our own agency in our learning process.
I deeply enjoy weaving my own love of books and words, the natural world, the creative process, along with my students unique interests and gifts wrapped into a creative, challenging, and joy-full academic gift that benefits us all. When I’m not at school you will usually find me in the woods, the river, the garden, or cooking in my kitchen with my Eric, our 5 children, and many pets.
I am joyous and grateful to be beginning another year of teaching at Blue Mountain School! I’ve been teaching in and out of the classroom for about 25 years. I’m very grateful that after a winding journey, I have found my pedagogical home in the Upper Elementary Classroom at Blue Mountain School! My original teacher training in middle school Reading and Writing workshop instilled my deep respect of student centered learning, and has fueled my entire career. I view teaching and learning with my students as an honor, joy, a challenge,and a great gift. With every age and unique learning environment, I look for ways to celebrate and inspire each child’s unique abilities, and sense of wonder. Together, we weave a rich tapestry of curiosity, work, and learning, joyfully tying in important academics that blanket a life rich with the love of learning.
I’m inspired by the philosophies of Reggio Emilia and constructivist education. I received my undergraduate education at Virginia Tech. I have a masters certification from ETSU in Emergent Inquiry and I’m proud to have attended training in Reggio Emilia, Italy. I’m dedicated to the idea of the learner as protagonist. We all learn best when the curricula is important to us and we are reminded of our own agency in our learning process.
I deeply enjoy weaving my own love of books and words, the natural world, the creative process, along with my students unique interests and gifts wrapped into a creative, challenging, and joy-full academic gift that benefits us all. When I’m not at school you will usually find me in the woods, the river, the garden, or cooking in my kitchen with my Eric, our 5 children, and many pets.
Jenni Heartway - Early Learning Co-Teacher, Forest Programs Lead, and Administrative Team
My passion is educating young learners using emergent curriculum and project based learning. I began my training as a Foxfire Certified teacher and have continued my love of learning that spirals from student interests, since that time. I truly enjoy helping students develop literacy skills in an authentic, meaningful manner, and scaffolding children’s play to create learning experiences. I have taught in a variety of settings; public schools, private schools, internationally and outdoors as a Forest Kindergarten teacher. This is my 20th year in the classroom. I am a licensed Birth through Sixth grade teacher and have an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with a second major in Psychology. My Masters Degree is in Early Childhood Intervention and Family Support. I completed my North Carolina Environmental Educator’s Certification, and look forward to sharing my love of the outdoors with my students. When I'm not in the classroom you can find me in the woods with my family and our dogs. My four children attend Blue Mountain and my husband, Perrin works as a holistic veterinarian.
My passion is educating young learners using emergent curriculum and project based learning. I began my training as a Foxfire Certified teacher and have continued my love of learning that spirals from student interests, since that time. I truly enjoy helping students develop literacy skills in an authentic, meaningful manner, and scaffolding children’s play to create learning experiences. I have taught in a variety of settings; public schools, private schools, internationally and outdoors as a Forest Kindergarten teacher. This is my 20th year in the classroom. I am a licensed Birth through Sixth grade teacher and have an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with a second major in Psychology. My Masters Degree is in Early Childhood Intervention and Family Support. I completed my North Carolina Environmental Educator’s Certification, and look forward to sharing my love of the outdoors with my students. When I'm not in the classroom you can find me in the woods with my family and our dogs. My four children attend Blue Mountain and my husband, Perrin works as a holistic veterinarian.
Lore Deighan - Art Teacher, Forest Kindergarten Teacher, and Administrative Team
As a Floyd native by birth carried away for many years, I have been happily settled back in this wonderful community since 2008. I have taught at Blue Mountain School now for ten years, spending that time as a parent, art teacher, forest school leader, upper elementary teacher, and administrator. I have learned so much about teaching, parenting and myself as I've grown into my role as an educator at BMS. My passion is painting, graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006 with a degree in Painting and Printmaking. I weave my artistic and creative self, my passion and awe for the natural world, and my enthusiasm for wandering and wondering through life into my role as educator.
As a Floyd native by birth carried away for many years, I have been happily settled back in this wonderful community since 2008. I have taught at Blue Mountain School now for ten years, spending that time as a parent, art teacher, forest school leader, upper elementary teacher, and administrator. I have learned so much about teaching, parenting and myself as I've grown into my role as an educator at BMS. My passion is painting, graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006 with a degree in Painting and Printmaking. I weave my artistic and creative self, my passion and awe for the natural world, and my enthusiasm for wandering and wondering through life into my role as educator.
Stefi Schafer - Early Childhood Lead Teacher
I am a native of Germany, and I settled in the New River Valley nearly 20 years ago. I found my true Heimat right here in Floyd. I have a degree in early childhood development and education from New River Community College, and I have been working in the early childhood field for about 15 years with various age groups. While my training is valuable, my experience as a teacher and as the mother of a college-bound daughter and two grown sons has taught me a lot about children that the textbooks left out. I strongly believe that children are capable collaborators in their own learning process: children are people, too! They deserve respectful and caring adults to guide them on their journey as they learn about themselves and others, and the world around them. In addition to teaching, I also am an active member of the Floyd Humane Society and provide foster care for puppies and dogs.
I am a native of Germany, and I settled in the New River Valley nearly 20 years ago. I found my true Heimat right here in Floyd. I have a degree in early childhood development and education from New River Community College, and I have been working in the early childhood field for about 15 years with various age groups. While my training is valuable, my experience as a teacher and as the mother of a college-bound daughter and two grown sons has taught me a lot about children that the textbooks left out. I strongly believe that children are capable collaborators in their own learning process: children are people, too! They deserve respectful and caring adults to guide them on their journey as they learn about themselves and others, and the world around them. In addition to teaching, I also am an active member of the Floyd Humane Society and provide foster care for puppies and dogs.
Mark Upson - Early Childhood and Forest School Co-Teacher
I have been a teacher in many different settings, and I have held a similar number of positions within the arts. As my working life has straddled the two disciplines, my heart has always found the common ground between the two to be the most personally rewarding. Without a doubt, my discovery of Blue Mountain and the community of Floyd has been the culmination of a very long journey and the beginning of a deeper exploration into teaching, learning, and creating. As in all endeavors born from inspiration and love, the spark of learning remains joyful and mysterious to those whose minds are open. The mere existence of mystery, makes me feel like I am on a wild frontier, along with my fellow teachers and students, embarking on some grand adventure, destination unknown, without a map, just our hearts leading the way. For us, it's the journey that is sacred, and together we probe the future, searching for meaning, researching the possibilities, investigating all leads with inspiration, spontaneity, and love. I am grateful for every student who brings this journey to our school, and opens the book on such a worthy pursuit as learning.
I have been a teacher in many different settings, and I have held a similar number of positions within the arts. As my working life has straddled the two disciplines, my heart has always found the common ground between the two to be the most personally rewarding. Without a doubt, my discovery of Blue Mountain and the community of Floyd has been the culmination of a very long journey and the beginning of a deeper exploration into teaching, learning, and creating. As in all endeavors born from inspiration and love, the spark of learning remains joyful and mysterious to those whose minds are open. The mere existence of mystery, makes me feel like I am on a wild frontier, along with my fellow teachers and students, embarking on some grand adventure, destination unknown, without a map, just our hearts leading the way. For us, it's the journey that is sacred, and together we probe the future, searching for meaning, researching the possibilities, investigating all leads with inspiration, spontaneity, and love. I am grateful for every student who brings this journey to our school, and opens the book on such a worthy pursuit as learning.
Mollie Walsh - Elementary and Forest School Co-teacher
Thank you BMS community for inviting me into your precious bubble! I am very excited to be assisting in educating alongside Lore in the elementary cohort and taking a supportive position Monday through Thursday for all BMS teachers. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the wider BMS community and hopefully finding my own way to add to this already incredibly rich group.
~Molly
"Molly's presence felt so natural in the calssroom that I thought she was a BMS teacher from the past that I hadn't met yet"
Quote from Mark in the Early Childhood Classroom
Thank you BMS community for inviting me into your precious bubble! I am very excited to be assisting in educating alongside Lore in the elementary cohort and taking a supportive position Monday through Thursday for all BMS teachers. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the wider BMS community and hopefully finding my own way to add to this already incredibly rich group.
~Molly
"Molly's presence felt so natural in the calssroom that I thought she was a BMS teacher from the past that I hadn't met yet"
Quote from Mark in the Early Childhood Classroom
Shelly Sherman - Middle Elementary Teacher and on-line Teacher
I began my teaching career in Mesa (AZ) Public Schools as a kindergarten and first grade classroom teacher. The school to which I was first assigned sat on the edge of the Pima Indian Reservation where many of my students lived. The experience of working with a culture different from mine was invaluable to me as a young teacher.
When I started my family, I chose to stay home with my children to facilitate their learning. My husband and I unschooled our three children for 20 years. This afforded me many opportunities to explore a variety of educational approaches as my children learned and grew developmentally. This experience formed and influenced the educational philosophies that I hold as an educator today.
When my children successfully left home to start their adult lives I began a journey back into the public school system. These experiences included working as a literacy aid, SOL remediation coach, pre-school teacher, first grade teacher, second grade teacher and third grade teacher. My work in these different education positions solidified and validated my own educational philosophies and made it impossible, in good conscience, for me to return to the high stakes, test-centric public education environment this year.
There are so many things that make BMS attractive to me as an educator. The whole-child approach BMS practices appeals to my own educational philosophies and aligns with my most formative experiences in education. I am interested in the contemplative curriculum and how children respond and interact with it. I am excited about having a small class so that I can get to know the children and get to work with them on a deeper level than in my past experiences. I love the physical environment; the indoor and outdoor spaces. I am excited to be able to consider each child’s development and interests when addressing individual needs. The benefits of working in the BMS environment include the many opportunities to practice what I believe is the best way to educate children. I also see many opportunities for me to learn and grow at BMS.
I began my teaching career in Mesa (AZ) Public Schools as a kindergarten and first grade classroom teacher. The school to which I was first assigned sat on the edge of the Pima Indian Reservation where many of my students lived. The experience of working with a culture different from mine was invaluable to me as a young teacher.
When I started my family, I chose to stay home with my children to facilitate their learning. My husband and I unschooled our three children for 20 years. This afforded me many opportunities to explore a variety of educational approaches as my children learned and grew developmentally. This experience formed and influenced the educational philosophies that I hold as an educator today.
When my children successfully left home to start their adult lives I began a journey back into the public school system. These experiences included working as a literacy aid, SOL remediation coach, pre-school teacher, first grade teacher, second grade teacher and third grade teacher. My work in these different education positions solidified and validated my own educational philosophies and made it impossible, in good conscience, for me to return to the high stakes, test-centric public education environment this year.
There are so many things that make BMS attractive to me as an educator. The whole-child approach BMS practices appeals to my own educational philosophies and aligns with my most formative experiences in education. I am interested in the contemplative curriculum and how children respond and interact with it. I am excited about having a small class so that I can get to know the children and get to work with them on a deeper level than in my past experiences. I love the physical environment; the indoor and outdoor spaces. I am excited to be able to consider each child’s development and interests when addressing individual needs. The benefits of working in the BMS environment include the many opportunities to practice what I believe is the best way to educate children. I also see many opportunities for me to learn and grow at BMS.
