Teacher, Parent, Leader: Emily Carter's Fox Hill Journey (Podcast)

In this episode of Roots and Wings, we introduce Emily Carter, a lead teacher and assistant director at Fox Hill School. Discover her inspiring 17-year journey from intern to assistant director, her unique perspective as both a teacher and parent, and her family's deep, multi-generational connection to the school. Learn how her diverse experiences contribute to making Fox Hill a valuable resource for families.

Melanie Little: Welcome to Roots and Wings, a podcast from the Fox Hill School. I'm your host, Melanie Little. For 30 years, I've had the joy of working with children, families, and fellow educators. Here we'll share trusted guidance, expert insights, and real conversations about child development, parenting, and early learning. Together we'll discover how to provide our kids with the strong roots they need to feel secure and confident, giving them the wings to grow into thriving lifelong learners. Whether you're part of the Fox Hill family, or simply looking for encouragement on your parenting journey, this is a space to find connection, support, and inspiration. Tune in as we explore the joys and challenges of raising our tiny humans. Let's get started. Welcome to Roots and Wings, the podcast from the Fox Hill School, where we share ideas, insights, and conversations to help your children grow strong and Soar High.

Getting to Know Emily Carter: Teacher, Parent, and Hall of Famer

I'm Melanie Little and I'm the director of the Fox Hill School. I'd like to introduce you to Emily Carter, who is a lead teacher and the assistant director at the Fox Hill School. Hi, Ms. Emily.

Emily Carter: Hello. Thank you for having me.

Melanie: Thanks so much for talking with me. I would love to just take this time to introduce you to the listeners and all the families at our school.

Emily: Sounds good.

Emily’s Journey at the Fox Hill School

Melanie: Why don't you tell us a little bit about how you came to be a teacher at the Fox Hill School?

Emily: Well, this was a long, long time ago, so I went to Endicott College where we have to do internships in order to graduate, and they placed me at the Fox Hill School in, let's see, the fall of 2007. So I did my internship and I never left. That's why I graduated in 2008. I started working part-time in the spring of 2008, and then I started as a full-time teacher in the fall of 2008. Yes. Yep. And then I've been hit there ever since, so almost 17 years.

Melanie: Crazy. Which is wild

Emily: Wild, and a lot of things have happened in the 17 years.

Melanie: Yes. I know we've lived a lot of your life since then. We all got to go to Miss Emily's wedding.

Emily: Yep.

Melanie: She has two beautiful boys.

Emily: I was going to say that. I've two kids now. I got married. Nolan and Jack are alumni of the Fox Hill School. I got my master's in early education.

Melanie: Congratulations.

Emily: And during COVID, might I add!

Melanie: Oh,

Teaching, Parenting, and Community Connections

Emily: It wasn't enough. So yeah, I started a family and we live in Peabody, born and raised here.

Melanie: She knows everything about Peabody and all the people

Emily: I don't know if that's good or bad

A Family Legacy in Education

Melanie: One of the things about you, and actually all the teachers at Fox Hill, is you are a teacher, but also you are a parent, so you've kind of been on both sides, which I think is so important. And we can be a resource for our families as teachers, but also as

Emily: Parents on the other side. And my grandmother went to Fox Hill School.

Melanie: Oh my goodness.

Emily: In the fourth and fifth grade she did. It was a one room schoolhouse at that point. It was. She walked there

Melanie: Oh my gosh.

Emily: Yep.

Melanie: I actually put a little question on a Danvers Reminiscing Facebook page about that to see if anybody has any memories, and you should go check it out. There's been a few. I heard Mrs. Brown was the teacher when it was first and second grade

Emily: Oh

Melanie: The 1950s, I think they said.

Emily: Yeah. My grandmother would've been in the thirties, I think

Melanie: Even before that.

Emily: It's amazing. I mean, she has since passed, so I can't ask her questions. Right. But I think, yeah, she was in the twenties. Born in the twenties, so that makes sense. Thirties, probably.

Melanie: Wow. It has such a history and people are connected to it in so many different ways, which I just love.

Emily: Yes.

Melanie : You'll be excited or not excited that somebody on that page had mentioned that Mrs. Brown called the kids in from recess with a big old brass school bell.

Emily: We should do it.

Melanie: Guess what they have on Amazon? I now have one.

Emily: You're buying a school bell?

Melanie: I already did.

Emily: Oh, that's cool. Alright.

Melanie: We tried it at camp. It's awesome.

Emily: Yeah. I love it. Awesome.

Fun Fact: A True Hall of Famer

Melanie: Well, anything else you'd like to say? How about a fun facts to leave with? What's a fun fact about Ms. Emily?

Emily: Alright, let me see here. Okay, I got one.

Melanie: Okay.

Emily: There's so many. I am in my high school's Athletic Hall of Fame,

Melanie: The Hall of Fame. Nice. I feel like I should have some background music for that.

Emily: We are the Champions.

Melanie: Yeah, exactly.

Wasn't there a Hall of Fame song?

Emily: Yeah. Oh, there is a Hall of Fame. Yes. So yeah, most people probably don't know that about me.

Melanie: And what are you in the hall of fame for?

Emily: I played field hockey and basketball and lacrosse, so I don't know if I'm in for all three or just one. I would say one lacrosse, but I did play all three, so I don't know. Okay. They didn't specify.

Melanie: You're just awesome. That's what they wanted to say. Very. That's amazing. Alright, so we have a hall of famer in our midst. That is an awesome, fun fact.

Emily: And now I get into all the Peabody games for free.

Melanie: Nice. They're expensive. That's perfect. I love it.

Emily: Yes. So if my kids ever do play and they end up at Peabody High, ya know.

Melanie: Fun fact. Super fun. That is an awesome, fun fact.

Emily: Yeah.

Looking Ahead: Supporting Families Together

Melanie: I love it. Well, I just wanted to take a few minutes to introduce you, so that's awesome. You'll be back on. We're going to use this podcast as a resource for our families and actually really any parents with young kids will have different interviews and people that are nurses or OT, PT, teachers.

Emily: Love it. Really anything you can think of as a resource. And maybe some parents

Melanie: And maybe some parents. That's a great idea.

Emily: A great resource for parents is other parents.

Melanie: It is. It is. So we will for sure be talking with you again, but I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you and say We're excited to for school, start in a few weeks. Can't believe it. I know. And you'll be seeing Miss Emily when you get there.

Emily: Yes. See everybody in two weeks.

Melanie: Sounds good. Well, thank you for listening to Roots and Wings from the Fox Hill School. For more resources and upcoming episodes, visit www.foxhill-school.com. See you next time. Thank you for joining me on Roots and Wings. I hope today's conversation gave you some encouragement and practical ideas to support you, your child, and your family. If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Together we can strengthen the partnership between families and educators and help our children grow into confident, capable, and curious learners. I'm Melanie Little. Thanks for listening. See you next time.