CHRISTY COLE | Glenelg Country School
Christy Cole embarks on her fifteenth year at Glenelg Country School (GCS). As director of student support services, she works closely with upper school administration to ensure the success of all GCS students, including those with diagnosed learning differences, social-emotional disorders, and ADHD. Born and bred in Baltimore County, Cole received a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education from Goucher College in ’99. She has taught at Valley Academy (now Jemicy Upper School), TopSide, and Camp Jemicy summer camps, and previously served as the director of admissions at the Baltimore Lab School.
WHAT DREW YOU TO EDUCATION?
For as long as I can remember, I always loved being around kids. Despite that, I entered college as a computer science major but took an Introduction to Special Education course the spring of my freshman year. Needless to say, after that experience I found my calling. A career in education has allowed me to continue to learn and to share my interests—from reading to athletics—with my students.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR CURRENT SCHOOL?
One of the things that drew me to GCS is the diversity of our students and the sense of community across the campus. Some of my most treasured memories and experiences with students at GCS have happened outside the confines of my office. Each and every day is filled with something unexpected that either makes me laugh or inspires me to learn more.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN YOUR ROLE?
As I primarily work with upper school students, my goal is that by the time our students matriculate to post-secondary placements, they have a strong sense of who they are as learners and how to access what they need in order to continue to succeed. Recognizing that they learn differently is vital, but more importantly, it is what they do with that information moving forward. One of the greatest joys is a reluctant learner who walks into my office and says, “When you created this for a past assignment, it really helped. Would you do it for this class? It would really help me.”
