Apple Gifford, M.Ed., is an educator with over twenty years of experience in New England independent schools and distance learning.
Apple earned a BA in Religious Studies from Yale University and a Masters degree in Middle School Education from Lesley University. She has been a classroom teacher at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA and Assistant Head of School at The Grammar School in Putney, VT. She currently serves as the Director of Learning Services at Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield, MA.
In addition to her work in traditional schools, Apple served as Curriculum Director and K-8 Program Director for Oak Meadow School, a Waldorf-inspired homeschooling and distance-learning school based in Brattleboro, VT. While at Oak Meadow, Apple wrote homeschooling curriculum for grades K-12 and supported distance-learning families around the world.
Throughout her career, the focus of Apple’s work has been on supporting students and families as they navigate the learning journey. With her background in traditional schools, as well as with homeschooling and distance learning, Apple can help you make an educational plan that reflects your values and meets the unique needs of your child.
Apple lives on a working farm in Newfane, Vermont with her husband and two adolescent daughters.
As a parent myself, I understand the practical and emotional needs of parents and children as they embark upon their own unique educational journeys.
With experience across grades, disciplines, and learning environments, I have a deep understanding of the challenges families face in making educational decisions for their children, and I know the right support at the right time can make all of the difference.
During the spring of 2020, I began supporting friends and family as they adjusted to online school and to the responsibility of directing their children’s learning from home. It soon became clear that experienced educational support was much needed in these times, and I began to offer my services more widely. With my background in both traditional and distance learning, I have unique insight into the challenges families are currently facing.
We are in a period of educational change, and the expectations are rapidly shifting. Students, parents, and schools are adapting to new teaching models, and we are all exploring new ways of learning.
This is an opportunity to reconsider what works best for your child, and to explore options you may have never considered.
I’m honored to work with families as they hold questions, seek answers, and find solutions that help their children thrive. Although the current educational landscape is shifting and brings many new challenges, it is also exciting.
There’s never been a better time to focus on your child’s strengths and to explore possibilities that have always felt out of reach.