A heartfelt thank you to retiring Learning Strategist Maria Barnden

December 18 will be the last day that Learning Strategist Maria Barnden uses evidence-based strategies — including sensory tools like weighted stuffies and glittery thinking putty, and multi-sensory approaches like tracing sandpaper letters — to help Junior School students develop the foundational literacy skills that are essential for learning. After 41 years as a York School employee, Maria is retiring.
Maria’s career has evolved in tandem with York. In her first position, she was responsible for integrating children with exceptionalities into two of the four programs that York Montessori was running at the time. Maria set the children up for success by providing their teachers with advice and resources, and visiting families at home to teach parents how to support their children’s learning. In later years, as the school’s direction changed, Maria moved into other roles. She taught Phys Ed and worked in the library, then pivoted to teaching Junior and Senior Kindergarten.

Raising three sons with dyslexia introduced Maria to best practices for teaching literacy and ignited her passion for working with students who need extra support to learn the letters in the alphabet and the sounds they make. Seven years ago, after York made it possible for Maria to complete all three levels of Orton-Gillingham’s training for dyslexia specialists, she moved into the role of learning strategist.

Maria says that teaching literacy and printing to individual students and small groups has been the most rewarding aspect of her career. “Children need strong reading and writing skills so that when they go to class, they can fully access the curriculum — to read, explore and discover with confidence,” she says.

As she looks forward to a retirement filled with travel and spending time with loved ones, including her parents, Maria says she will dearly miss all her friends at York. “This place has been my home and family for the past 40 years,” she explains.

The York School would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to Maria for her extraordinary commitment to our school and the role she has played in educating four decades of York students. We wish you a wonderful retirement!
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