MASTER TEACHER: KRISTIN RYDER
Di Nestel's reflections on her colleagues are always a treat.
It is an honor to stand before you today and introduce Graland’s newest master teacher, Kristin Ryder.
I met Kristin 20 years ago. She was in her mid-twenties, looking for a new challenge. She had just helped start a new school in Vermont and reluctantly left to join Lee, her future husband, in Denver. She was happy in Vermont and didn’t really want to come to Denver-- so much so that she only applied for one position and that was at Graland. Maybe, she was hoping that she wouldn’t get the job so she could stay in Vermont, live out her dream of running a new school. However, Graland had different ideas and convinced her this school should be her new dream job.
Throughout the past twenty years, Kristin has worn more hats than anyone I know. She started as a kindergarten teacher, then moved to Lower School science teacher. She was a lacrosse coach, Gates coach and director, school scheduler, and Education Committee chair. She got her master’s degree, was the Assistant Lower School head, then Assistant Director of Admission and finally became our Director of Admission. Oh, during that time she also found time to marry Lee and raise Burke and Teo.
Kristin has been the lead on many projects these past 20 years but none more important than raising her two boys – Burke and Teo. The Ryder family has seen firsthand how Graland’s faculty and staff help raise all of our kids. As most of you know, last year was quite a year for the Ryder family. Through all the challenging times, Kristin was a full-time mom and a full-time Graland administrator. I am not sure how she managed --and she might not know how she managed. She will tell you that the Ryder family got through it because of a strong family and strong Graland community that stood with them each step of the way. And that’s how they will get through the next set of challenges, with a little help from their friends.
Because of her many positions and broad perspective, Kristin understands and appreciates both the instructional and the business sides of the school. Though she is no longer in the classroom, I would venture to say that she knows each and every student here today, as well as your parents. As someone who has had the pleasure of working along-side her, I can tell you that Kristin’s priorities have always remained the same – it’s always about what’s best for kids. Regardless of position or project, you always get the same Kristin…. forthcoming and honest, thoughtful and strategic, passionate and hardworking, dependable and respectful.
We often say that a great school never sits still. I’d like to add that a great educator never sits still. Certainly, Kristin never sits still. Earlier this year I asked Kristin if she has given up on the idea of starting and running another school. Hardly missing a beat, she replied, “I’m just waiting for the right time – the dream is alive." Knowing Kristin the way that I do, I would never bet against her when she says she is going to do something.
As I imagine what that school might look like. I see lots of space to play and learn together, a faculty full of ideas and unconditional love for children, kids out of their classrooms more than they are in them, and a community who knows who they are and committed to having a positive impact on the world around them. It will be a school that reflects its leader – Kristin Ryder.
Join me in congratulating Kristin Ryder on her twenty years at Graland. Kristin, we look forward to seeing what’s next on your to-do list.
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
