Mary Kelley

Sixth Grade Teacher

Credentials:

B.S., Psychology
M.S., Elementary Education
Quinnipiac University, Southern State Connecticut University, University of New Haven
Teacher since 2008

How many years have you worked at Oak Grove?

Since 2014.

Why do you work at Oak Grove?

I work at Oak Grove to explore the teachings of Krishnamurti with my fellow learners and to discover what learning from moment-to-moment can be.

A quote that inspires your approach to your job.

“The seeing once is the seed put in the earth, that will flower.”
—J. Krishnamurti

Where is your special spot on campus?

My classroom feels like a second home to me.

Coffee or Tea?

Tea.

What makes an Oak Grove education unique?

It provides time and space for the immeasurable kind of learning to take place.

How do we prepare students for their life ahead?

By teaching them the importance of learning about themselves, not in an accumulative, rigid sense but in a living, moving sense, wherein they can see “what is” and question the images, conclusions, and false notions that enter in.

What outdoor experience has been most impactful for you?

Our camping trip to Joshua Tree has both challenged and enriched me in ways I could never have imagined.

Which teacher in your life affected you greatly? How?

My 7th grade teacher taught me the importance of honesty, humility, and unconditional love.

Name something that nobody knows about you.

My hair is actually not fuchsia.

Person (dead or alive, famous or not) that you’d most like to share a meal with.

Lucille Ball.

Name a place you’ve always wanted to visit, but haven’t yet.

Italy.

What is your most bizarre OGS experience?

When my mother was hired here, as it felt like it came out of thin air but was always meant to be.