“A belief I hold true is that it is equally important to teach to the heart as it is to teach to the brain.”
Lower School Learning Specialist Emily Prior, who is originally from San Diego, came to Poly in 2019. She did her graduate studies at New York University, earning two master’s, one in early childhood education and the other in special education. During her college years, Emily taught at an orphanage in Senegal, which cemented her love of teaching. She later spent six years teaching at a public school in New York City. At Poly, Emily is working with Grades 3 and 4 providing literacy support, helping with reading groups, working on targeted writing with students, and providing language arts support. Her goal is to work with the Middle School Learning Specialist to help create a smooth pathway between Grade 4 at the Lower School and Grade 5 in our Middle School. Emily sees her students as very inquisitive, extremely thoughtful, engaged, and really good people. During summers, Emily, an experienced hiker, has trekked the John Muir and parts of the Appalachian Trail. Her dream is to one day hike the Pacific Coast Trail, which runs from Mexico all the way to Canada: 2,650 miles!
Lower School