Faculty & Staff

Founder + Lead Educator

Throughout her career, Nicole has had experience teaching a wide range of students and subjects in colleges, prep-schools, and private-homeschool settings. She has taught mathematics, science, grammar, phonics, composition, literature, history, geography and nature-studies. Nicole has professionally trained through the Institute for Excellence in Writing and studied towards Level I Classical Educator Certification while working for Classical Academic Press. As of 2025, she has logged over ten-thousand hours privately tutoring and homeschooling students ages six to eighteen, both in-person and online.

Prior to opening The Small School, Nicole founded Telos Teaching, a private tutoring, homeschool teaching, and curriculum design company. Nicole earned a BA in Philosophy and BA in Political Science from Assumption College and an MA in Liberal Arts, with a focus in Philosophy and Theology, from St. John’s College, Santa Fe.

Outside of the classroom she enjoys trying as many outdoor sports as possible and getting more people on bikes as a PMBIA certified mountain bike instructor.

Lead STEM Educator

Ashley is a STEM educator with over 15 years experience working in classroom and outdoor settings. Science communication and math instruction are her passions. She's taught outdoor ecology for the Scouts BSA and the Audubon Center, among others, and managed her own Forest School program in Santa Fe. She holds a master's degree in experimental cognitive psychology and currently teaches at both Central New Mexico community college and The Small School. 

Outdoor Program Leader & All-School Assistant Teacher

Audrey’s teaching career began during her undergraduate studies when she volunteered to help local students improve their reading skills. This experience inspired her drive to educate and empower kids through learning. She has over three years of experience working with children in an educational setting and experience in mathematics, science, and English language arts tutoring. Previously to joining The Small School, she worked in education research and statistics. Audrey holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Memphis. Audrey strives to combine her passion for academic learning with outdoor education. You can often find her enjoying and recreating in the New Mexico wilderness. She is an active volunteer with search and rescue and is certified in Wilderness First Aid. As the Outdoor Program Leader, Audrey seeks to create engaging outdoor experiences for students that instill creativity, thoughtfulness, resiliency, and enrichment.

History Teacher

Connor attended the University of Vermont where he received his B.A in English Literature and Philosophy. During his undergraduate study, much of his time was dedicated to building Books4Equality, the first free student textbook library of its kind in the United States. Connor and his colleagues strived to have an environmental impact by repurposing college textbooks while also saving UVM students the tremendous expense that comes with the purchase of textbooks each semester. Connor began working toward his M.A in English Literature during his undergraduate study as well, completing his courses in 2019 with a concentration in The Gothic, Science Fiction/Fantasy, and Old English/Norse Literature. Connor has a deep appreciation for his education, and hopes to inculcate this ethos in each of his students. With a knack for witticism, wordplay, occasional wisdom, and quite a bit of wonder, Connor is quite excited to begin his instruction at The Small School.