This article is an excerpt from the Fall 2026 Talcott Continuum newsletter. Read the full newsletter here.
This fall, Talcott Mountain Academy welcomed Dr. Corinne Green as its new Dean. With a career centered on gifted education and supporting advanced learners, Dr. Green brings both professional expertise and a personal understanding of the importance of creating school environments where curious students can thrive.
Now a few weeks into her first school year on the mountain, we invited Dr. Green to share more about the experiences that have shaped her approach to education, what has stood out to her about the Talcott community, and how she hopes to support the Academy’s advanced and curious learners in the years ahead.
Your career has centered on understanding and supporting gifted learners. What experiences have most shaped your approach to this work?
Dr. Green: The experiences that have been most important in shaping my work with gifted learners bring me back to my own days in a middle school magnet program, WAVE, right outside of Houston, Texas. That small community—much like Talcott—inspired me to see the need for gifted learners to have environments and school administrators that understand them. As I went from AP classes in high school to the Honors College at the University of Houston, I saw how the gifted experience can affect individuals across their educational careers—what supported them and what could be improved. As I approached graduate school, I made it my goal to create more nurturing environments for advanced learners and fill the need for school administrators who understand these students.
What do you believe advanced and curious learners need most from their schools and communities to thrive?
Dr. Green: To me, the best thing we can give our advanced and curious learners is the space to be themselves. Most school environments are designed to teach towards the middle of the pack, which often means that natural curiosity is shut down as there may not be time for the exploration of niche ideas when they arise. Being able to see our students’ interests and passions as a strength and something to nurture is key to making them feel seen, motivating them to learn skills that will empower them in the future. This also means giving them space to make mistakes in a way they can learn from, and reminding them that being intelligent doesn’t mean having to be perfect.
Now that you’ve had some time on the mountain, what has stood out to you most about Talcott’s students and school community?
Dr. Green: A few things have stood out to me. First, Talcott Mountain gives the academy a unique landscape that continues to empower and support the students in their interests and passions. No other school that I am aware of has bug catching as a regular recess activity, or a whole day like BioBlitz, devoted to the observation and appreciation of the various species on the mountain. Second, having specialized teachers for different areas of science—Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Earth and Space Sciences—gives curious learners the chance to ask in-depth questions that a general science teacher may not be able to answer. Finally, the community of students, with Student Council leading homegrown efforts to engage our pupils in teambuilding, strikes me as a special way to provide leadership opportunities to our innovative learners.
Looking ahead, what opportunities do you see for Talcott Mountain Academy to continue evolving to meet the needs of advanced and curious learners?
Dr. Green: One clear area of need Talcott learners have is that of socioemotional learning. This year, we are starting by introducing our Learning and Life Skills class for grades 4+ where students are learning executive functioning skills they can use to manage their studies and everyday lives. The course begins with a deep-dive into space and time management, the foundations of great organization. We follow with units on breaking down large-projects into manageable steps, good study habits, and ways to begin, persevere, and finish important tasks. Students receive regular reinforcement to use their planners, virtual calendars, and Alma to keep on top of their assignments, and can ask questions about how to manage their workload. Sixth through eighth graders are also diving into community service opportunities with Talcott alum, Mr. Petrella. In the future, I plan to establish a school-wide model of socioemotional learning to ensure these important areas of development are served across all grade levels.
Outside of your work in education, what are some of your own interests or passions that keep you curious?
Dr. Green: So many! I love reading sci-fi, fantasy, and graphic novels. I also love learning languages such as Mandarin, Japanese and French. Visual arts and music have played a big part in my life. And of course, exploring the natural world around us! Having so many interests allows me to stay excited about learning, as well as keeping fun topics at the ready for connecting with students.
We are grateful to have Dr. Green and her leadership at Talcott Mountain Academy, and we look forward to all that’s ahead for our students and school community.
LEARN MORE
Interested in learning more about Talcott Mountain Academy? To explore the Academy and discover what makes our community unique, click the button below.