Tal Birdsey
Tal Birdsey, Head Teacher, North Branch School – Ripton, VT Tal Birdsey is the head teacher of the North Branch School, which he co-founded in 2001. He teaches literature, poetry, creative writing, religion, ethics, history, art and art history, and serves as counselor, admissions officer, soccer coach, newsletter editor, assistant wiffleball coach, and resident Flat-Earth Society Scholar. Tal published “A Room For Learning: The Making of a School In Vermont” which recounts the beginnings of the North Branch School and the intricate and comical adventures involved in making an alternative school in the Green Mountains in Vermont. "If education interests you--if kids interest you--this is a magical story…about what happens if you take them seriously, and if you have the grace and agility to hang with them in the tough spots and the glorious ones. Nothing…will make you…more optimistic about…the future. And if you're an educator…nothing will remind you more powerfully of the nobility of your calling." -Bill McKibben, NY Times bestselling author
