Staff Spotlight: The Great and Powerful May!

Since 2006, May has been a staple of The Little School. Through her years at TLS she has worked with infants to Pre-K, and everything in between. She exemplifies JOY in everything she does. She teaches those around her to embrace the fun and the ridiculous in everything she does. See a log? Paint it! Mud? Squish in it! Tree? Hug it! For the record, I have personally seen her do all of these things. An artist to the core, she is one part the vision of Georgia O’Keeffe and one part the strength of Paul Bunyan (except when she gets a splinter, then she’s more Blanche DuBois). For the past six years, she has been lovin’ all over your kids, and I have yet to meet a kiddo  that doesn’t love her back. This fall she will head off to college full-time where she will study Occupational Therapy. With a degree in hand, she will set off spreading the amazingness of May. While we will miss her dearly, we are excited to share her with the rest of the world.

* How did you find your way to TLS?
I knew Ms. Christa during high school, and we stayed in touch through the years. During a visit to Carolina, I went to see Christa and her new preschool.  After I visited and toured TLS, I chose to move back to North Carolina and apply to The Little School. At 19 years of age, I started as a full time substitute, and have been a full time teacher ever since.  

* What was the most interesting trip you have taken?
A passion of mine is traveling. Growing up, my family vacationed frequently. As young adults my parents took my brother and I to India and that’s when I got the bug for travel. My most interesting trip was the first trip I planned and paid for myself. I spent four months traveling around Europe with a backpack, a train pass, and my best friend. We explored 19 countries, and I learned more during those few months than any other time in my life.  I’m planning on dragging my awesome husband on a similar trip one day.

* If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?
Christopher Walken.
     
 *If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?
I think living inside Mark Twain's head would be pretty awesome.

* Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
Joyful simpleton! Enjoying the simple things are what’s important. I am most happy sitting in the “Quietude” of nature.

* If you were an animal, what would you be? Why?
I would be an alligator. Alligators have the most beautiful life I’ve ever come across. I would do anything to spend my days sunbathing, eating, sleeping, and enjoying the peace. Not to mention live in some of the most beautiful places on the planet. 

 * What is your happiest childhood memory/what makes it so special?
I have memories of being picked up at preschool. I remember running as fast I could towards my father and watching all the towering adults part like the red sea so I could be scooped and thrown into the air by my dad’s massive hands. This was a “routine pick-up” for me. The sensation of flight is what has stuck with me.  I have a lot of memories from childhood that I hold onto. Another memory was a trip my brother, father, and I took to The Okefanokee Swamp. I remember sitting on the front of the motor boat with my brother while my father drove in figure eights until we both fell into the water. We were raised to understand our own personal limits and to test those limits any chance we could. There are so many great memories, and I’m grateful to not have only one answer to that question.

* What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Dress like Lady Gaga. 

* What did you want to be when you were 12 years old?  
Awesome 

*What would you listen to if you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life?
“The Weight” by The Band.

* What's your favorite tree or What is your favorite flower?
My favorite tree and flower is a Dogwood. My guess why is due to growing up in Atlanta where the streets are lined with them. I remember seeking them out and studying every flower in reach. My first really great paintings were of Dogwood branches, I would call it an obsession.

* If you could do any other job in the world, what would it be?
I would be a Fiddler in an old time string band, or own an art gallery.

* What words do you live by?
BE LIKE WATER

* What do you value most or hold most dear at TLS?
I value the opportunity to create relationships with the children. It’s been wonderful to hold strong bonds with Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. These relationships have all blossomed into an experience of a lifetime for me. I will treasure my time at The Little School forever.