Danie Contreras
Middle School English Language Arts Teacher
Waldorf experience: N/A
Education: Belmont University, BA • Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, MEd
Danie Contreras is a recent graduate of Vanderbilt’s Peabody College, where she studied Secondary Education, K-12 Literacy Instruction, and K-12 English Language Learning. Her research and pedagogical styles are rooted in fostering meaningful connection with academic spaces and beyond by teaching students to stand firm and tall as lifelong learners through unique teaching practices like Arts Literacy and Play Theory.
Contreras began working in educational spaces while completing her undergraduate studies at Belmont University, where she partnered with a number of nonprofit organizations that worked with at-risk youth in and around Metro Nashville. Her work during this time established her relationship-centered teaching philosophy and named her an exceptional volunteer by Doing Good TV and the recipient of the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Danie loves finding new ways to connect to those around her and help them achieve their goals. During her time at Vanderbilt, she tutored student-athletes in various subjects and became a resource for rising seniors working on their personal statements for postgraduate endeavors. She also served as a mentor to many students in Vanderbilt’s Undergraduate Peabody Honors Program as a teaching assistant.
Contreras began working in educational spaces while completing her undergraduate studies at Belmont University, where she partnered with a number of nonprofit organizations that worked with at-risk youth in and around Metro Nashville. Her work during this time established her relationship-centered teaching philosophy and named her an exceptional volunteer by Doing Good TV and the recipient of the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Danie loves finding new ways to connect to those around her and help them achieve their goals. During her time at Vanderbilt, she tutored student-athletes in various subjects and became a resource for rising seniors working on their personal statements for postgraduate endeavors. She also served as a mentor to many students in Vanderbilt’s Undergraduate Peabody Honors Program as a teaching assistant.
Danie is in the home stretch of completing her MA degree from Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English. Her unique perspective on literacy makes her a resilient, empathetic, and passionate educator. As she embarks on this new role as Linden Waldorf’s Middle School ELA Teacher, she is full of gratitude for the experiences that have and will continue to shape her as a teacher, student, and human being.
