How it all Began
Twenty-five years. A quarter century. Amie Tedeschi’s tenure at TDS has spanned more than 86% of the school’s history. And to think, it almost didn’t happen.
In the summer of 1994, just as TDS was beginning its fourth year, a Lower School teacher announced that she wasn’t returning. Unearthing a file of resumes, then Head of School Kathy Lundstrom remembered one that had stood out during the hiring process from that spring – a recent Duke grad with an impressive transcript. Soon after that, TDS co-founder and longtime supporter Bela Kussin and someone from the TDS office made the quick trip to Duke’s campus. They picked up Amie Tedeschi at the bus stop.
Soon thereafter, Ms. Tedeschi was a fixture in the Lower School. Kussin recalls a quick trip back to Boston to retrieve more of her belongings before settling in to TDS, and to teaching. In her words, “There was a spark, something about her. It was magic, how much the kids adored her. It happened immediately.” Kussin was uniquely qualified to comment on Tedeschi’s impact, both as an administrator and a parent. She recalls that “Amie understood my son like no one else.”
The ‘Tedeschi Way’
Over the years, Ms. Tedeschi has become known at TDS for several things, including her investment in her students. Gabriel Kussin, who was lucky enough to have had Ms. Tedeschi in both third and fifth grade, remembers that “she treated her students as mature partners in education. From the daily responsibilities of each student to her approach to the curriculum, I always felt that I wasn’t a child being taught at, but rather a person whose thoughts mattered, and who was on a journey with Ms. Tedeschi.”
The ‘Tedeschi Way’ requires an enormous investment of time, and she has consistently given so much of herself over these years. Often the first to arrive and the last to leave, you can find Ms. Tedeschi at TDS on weekends, or answering parent emails at all hours. This dedication and generosity extend to her colleagues as well. As Tamara Simpson—former TDS third-grade teacher of 19 years—put it, “Amie was incredibly supportive and a wonderful mentor to me as I began my teaching career 22 years ago! She always made time for Lower School teachers – to problem solve, offer encouragement, and so much more. You won’t meet another teacher more devoted to Triangle Day School.”
If her students occupy the #1 place in her heart, books come in a close second.
Ms. Tedeschi maintains a 2000-volume classroom library, and her love of reading is contagious. Countless parents have shared that their children learned to love literature through read-alouds, as well as daily exposure to Ms. Tedeschi’s passion for reading. Students frequently return to her classroom for recommended reads, and to borrow books!
We at TDS are grateful to Ms. Tedeschi for her passion and dedication – to the school, and most of all to her students, their parents, and her colleagues. Head of School Doug Norry suggested that, “When someone eventually writes a history of TDS, no one will be featured more prominently than Amie Tedeschi, and with good reason. She is an absolute treasure!”
