Meet Claudia Hatter, Fourth Grade Teacher

Claudia’s love of reading is what initially drew her to teaching, with plans to teach high school literature. However, it’s in the elementary classroom, where she’s able to get to know the whole child and witness their development, that Claudia has found her home.

“I love teaching upper level English, but more so, I really love having one core class of students,” Claudia says. “I get to know each student on such a deep level, and that allows me to really uncover their passions and interests, and to inspire them as learners.”

It’s a skill that Claudia has honed in her 21 years teaching at Wildwood. Starting as a K-1 associate teacher, she then spent 17 years in 4th grade before moving to 5th grade in 2020. During this time, she also became a Wildwood parent herself. Her children, Cruz H. ‘29 and Nesta H. '32, have been enrolled at Wildwood since kindergarten.

“As a teacher and a parent, I get the opportunity to experience both sides of Wildwood,” Claudia says. “It’s a place that has allowed me to grow professionally as an educator, and also where I’ve seen my own children thrive.”  

I am so proud of Wildwood's DEIB work—and frankly, for how long we've been doing this work. While other schools are catching up, things like making sure our curriculum is inclusive, inviting authors and guest speakers of multiple backgrounds and experiences, etc., just feels like part of Wildwood's DNA. - CLAUDIA HATTER

Beyond teaching, Claudia serves as the math discipline coordinator for elementary, and is deeply involved in Wildwood’s DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) programming, having served on the first iteration of what has become Wildwood’s DEIB Leadership Team.

“I am so proud of Wildwood’s DEIB work—and frankly, for how long we’ve been doing this work,” Claudia says. “While other school’s are catching up, things like making sure our curriculum is inclusive, inviting authors and guest speakers of multiple backgrounds and experiences, etc., just feels like part of Wildwood’s DNA.”

Over the years, Claudia has also taken advantage of Wildwood’s professional development opportunities, participating in dozens of trainings with leading educational experts, including a particularly inspiring training with Dr. Jo Boaler at Stanford.

“Hearing Dr. Boaler explain how students develop a fear of math and offer ways to improve their attitude toward the subject was mind-blowing,” Claudia says. “When it comes to training, Wildwood will support anything that a teacher is passionate about that will serve the kids well.”

Beyond classroom training, Claudia also appreciates Wildwood’s focus on self development and interpersonal trainings.

“We’re always encouraging students to reflect on their own strengths and stretches, and this work is important for us to do too,” Claudia says. “Whether you’re a student, faculty member, or staff, Wildwood is a community of learners.”