Megan Rowe is the Grade 9 Dean and Advisor in the Upper School, and is also a learning specialist who teaches Upper School Study Skills. 

Megan joined the CDS community in 2015 as the music teacher for Key Lower and Middle School. In her first year at Key School, Megan discovered her passion for supporting students with learning differences. This prompted her to take Orton-Gillingham training from the Key Learning Center and become a Language Comprehensive teacher for grades three and four. Megan moved to the Upper School in 2020 to teach Study Skills and serve as an advisor. She is a Certified Academic Language Practitioner through the Academic Language Therapy Association, and she concentrated her graduate studies on students with Language-Based Learning Differences and Executive Functioning. Megan can be found hiking with her dogs or tending to her garden with her husband when she is not on campus.

Learn more about Megan:

What do you like most about your job at CDS?

I am so fortunate to be a learning specialist, as my position is one of a kind and allows me to form close bonds with all of my students and their families. The strong bonds I form with my students enable me to earn their trust, allowing them to be vulnerable in their learning and to view errors as learning opportunities rather than failures. Seeing students who struggle at the beginning of the year acquire academic confidence brings me great joy. There is no greater feeling.

How would you describe your classroom?

My classroom is a welcoming space where students of all learning styles feel comfortable and confident to dive deeply into their studies. Each student is valued for who they are as individuals and where they are in their educational journey and for the unique experiences and insights they contribute to the classroom. We accomplish this by encouraging a growth mindset and framing errors as learning opportunities. Students at the Upper School know that my door is always open.

How is CDS different from what you experienced as a child in school? Why/how is what you see now valuable?

My childhood education was drastically different from that of the students at CDS. Students at CDS benefit from small class sizes, and most teachers are well-educated in teaching neurodiverse students. This ensures that all students are met where they are and that their learning is scaffolded so that they can reach their full potential. In addition, teachers get to know their students and their complexities, which significantly impacts their learning. At CDS, no student falls through the cracks in any division which is incredibly valuable and special.