Staff: Teachers at Duke - The Little School

Looking for your child’s teacher? Our staff is comprised of professional teachers from diverse backgrounds, and bios for each are listed below in alphabetical order. We are well-read, well-traveled, professional teachers, artists, and athletes who bring our experiences together in a team-teaching environment in order to offer a truly unique educational environment to the children we serve. We are here because we are dedicated to growing self-assured, self-confident kids. We are here because we love to play, because we are ready to get messy, and because we love what we do.

Alana is a woman of a faith who truly loves the Lord with all my heart. She has a seven year old son named Jacob. Alana is the youngest of all of her siblings. She has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Livingstone College and is also a licensed Natural Hair Care Specialist. Alana is originally from Durham, North Carolina but lived in Florida on and off for 10 years. She loves to sing, take nice walks, eat delicious food, and spend time with my family and friends. She enjoys going to church service and serving in the community. One of Alana’s past jobs relevant to this job was when she was an assistant teacher at Biltmore Elementary. I worked with special needs kids. She learned so much from that job, and the children excelled academically in return. Alana loves to look nice in her clothes, no matter how much it costs. As long as she is satisfied and feels good within, that is what matters most. She is looking forward to building relationships with the children here at The Little School and making an impactful difference in their lives.

Ashley is a Durham native, born and raised. She started taking an interest in Early Childhood Education in high school after growing up seeing her Aunt Karen work as an amazing Preschool teacher for many years. She has taken after her in many ways, one being her passion for working with children, as well as her red hair. She worked as a preschool teacher for the first time in 2007. Since then, she has felt that early childcare is where her heart is. She loves being a part of the development of young minds. Even more, she loves everything about The Little School at Duke, from the concepts we use every day to the people she gets to collaborate with! It is true that she gets to do what she does with joy!

Carmille E. feels very honored to be an Educator at The Little School at Duke. She is also an Evangelist at Pentecost Restoration Deliverance Center in Mebane, NC. She is married with 5 children and 11 grandchildren. They reside in Durham, NC, and she and her husband own C & J Enterprises (specializing in Mobile Detailing and Pressure Washing and Baking and Catering). Carmille has been teaching preschool for 31 years and has had her Child Care Credentials 1&2. She also has her CDA License. She is currently attending Safe Haven Interdenominational Bible College and just graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biblical Studies. Carmille returned this year 2023-2024 to obtain her Masters’ Degree. She loves working with children and helping their little minds explore new things. She also loves to sing, cook, and travel. She is a fun but firm teacher and wants each day to begin very smoothly! As she says, "Let’s work each day together making sure our little people soar!"

Chelsea T. Chelsea was born and raised in Durham, NC. She graduated high school in 2016 from Durham School of Arts. Chelsea continued her education at Durham Tech and has received her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. She plans to continue and to acquire her Bachelor’s as well. Above all things, Chelsea wants to ensure a safe and loving environment for children. She joined TLS in 2022 and feels it is where she belongs. Outside of work, Chelsea enjoys modeling, traveling, and shopping. Chelsea has traveled to Italy, Paris, New Zealand, New York, and Los Angeles. She is excited to see what else the world has to offer.

Emani was born in Durham and has completed all of her education here in North Carolina. After her sister started working for TLS at Duke, Emani became interested in our school. She started as a full-time sub in 2019 at our Hillsborough campus. Emani has a positive spirit and easy-going personality and makes deep connections with children, other teachers, and families. She is continuing her education at Durham Tech and hopes to grow with her experiences at TLS. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, doing arts and crafts, and spending time with her family.

Evon joined TLS October 2023. She has always loved to be around children and owned about 20 baby dolls, all the way up until she was 17 years old. She treated them like real babies until her friends told her that she should just go to school and love on the real ones, and she did just that! She’s currently working on her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and decided to come back to the field of Early Childhood Education. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her 4 kids, reading a good love story, or just lounging on the couch engrossed in the ID channel. She also has a super fond love for animals. She has a terrier named Max and a black cat named Juney. Getting hugs and kisses from her students is the highlight of her day. She is so thankful to be a part of the TLS community!

Ginnie G. has worked between both TLS at Duke and Hillsborough for the past 8 years. She has worked with all ages and is excited to help with the infants, as they are her favorite age group. While working at TLS, she completed her Associate’s degree at Alamance Community College and is currently enrolled at North Carolina State University, majoring in Agriculture Science. In her free time, she enjoys raising her son, traveling to the beach, growing a garden, learning about plants, and binging on Netflix.

Hannah has lived in North Carolina for 20 years and was homeschooled all the way up to middle school. She attended North Carolina State University for one year and is currently studying Early Childhood Education at Alamance Community College. Hannah has been at The Little School for 9 years and loves everything to do with children. She enjoys the outdoors and going camping on the weekends. She spends a lot of her free time watching all five of her nieces and nephews at family functions, babysitting, and going to school. While also being a Lead Teacher, her pride and joy comes from raising her two boys, Braydon and Cole!

Martha has always enjoyed working with children. She was a nanny for a couple of different families when she was younger. She worked in a preschool with 1-2 year olds for about six years before joining The Little School. Her favorite thing is spending time with her five nieces and nephews. She grew up going to Topsail Beach with her grandparents and large family. She had ten cousins who were all around the same age as her while growing up. She still enjoys going to the beach any chance she can.

Paula grew up all over the place, but has lived in Durham for more than 35 years. She loves it here! Paula and her husband raised a son who now attends NC A&T. She fell into the world of Early Education during her first attempt at college. The field captured her heart and soul, and she has now worked with children, families, and teachers for more than 40 years! She holds an Associate’s degree in Child Development and a Bachelors’ degree in Early Childhood Education. As a teacher and director at a cooperative preschool, she first learned of the Reggio Emilia approach. This love for reaching children where they are and supporting their development through the 100 languages of children sparked a flame in her that continues to burn. She is thrilled to be part of The Little School family, where they speak those 100 (+) languages with beauty and with joy.

Sarah Jaye is currently a student at North Carolina Central University, pursuing a degree in Mass Communications with a concentration in Broadcasting Media. At the Little School, I work as a part-time floater, collaborating with other teachers to create an enriching experience for the attending preschool children. Prioritizing my role as a student, I consistently acquire new knowledge at the Little School, contributing to my growth as a preschool assistant. I consider myself a valuable asset to The Little School because of my commitment to continuous improvement acknowledging that there are still areas for me to grow and learn. My dedication to becoming the best version of myself serves as a driving force, emphasizing the importance of success in all my endeavors. Outside of my academic and professional pursuits, I have a passion for singing, and it brings me joy to share this talent, even incorporating it into interactions with the children.

Simon grew up deep in the woods of Northern Sweden. In 2014, he moved to North Carolina and has been living with his wife in Durham since last summer of 2018. In 2020, they were joined by their daughter, who now attends The Little School. In Sweden, Simon had been a teacher of high school (teaching math, physics, and philosophy), middle school, and elementary school. In NC, he ended up working various service industry jobs before finding The Little School on his arrival in Durham. He thoroughly enjoys sharing his love of the woods and the natural world with the children and will often be found telling stories on our playgrounds.

Steve started his career in Education as a high school Latin teacher in 2012, drawing from his passion for language and antiquity. After the birth of his son Marlowe in 2015, he traveled with his family to South Korea, where his work with kindergartners opened his eyes to the joy of Early Childhood Education. He began his career with a Reggio-inspired school in 2018, and there has been no looking back! He loves to hike the wilds of NC (most especially Mount Mitchell and the Eno River). You can also find him developing the novels he has written over the years during National Novel Writing Month, which are primarily explorations in the Science Fiction genre. But above all else, learning the skills of Conscious Discipline has transformed him as a parent. He is grateful to be able to appreciate the world through new eyes alongside his son, as they grow together, playing Minecraft, Pokemon, and chess. In his free time, Steve is training in taekwondo together with Marlowe, and they are committed to attaining their black belts!

Taresa has been at The Little School for over 7 years. She has worked with all age groups and has 22 yrs of experience working within the childcare field. She is very passionate about instilling values in young children, teaching them to communicate respectfully, and creating an environment where children can learn, explore, mature and interact with others, and just be themselves. Very important skill sets for Taresa would be communication skills and patience. She thinks we all need good speaking skills to provide direction and information effectively and also good listening skills to understand instruction. She is married and has 2 beautiful children. When Taresa is not spending time with her family, she is either crafting, on her Harley Davidson, or riding her can-am.