Name: Clara Gaul
Role: Director of Toddlers – PreK
School: BASIS Independent Mclean
District: Fairfax County
State: Virginia
“SEL has been a passion of mine from the time I began to pursue early childhood education. SEL is fundamental to every other aspect of learning. We cannot meet our students’ academic needs without first prioritizing their social-emotional needs.”
Clara Gaul works at BASIS Independent McLean as the Dean of Students for their Early Learning Program. Her role is supporting their teachers and students in their social-emotional learning, as well as their academic and behavioral needs within the classroom. Prior to working as the Dean of Students, Clara taught Kindergarten and PreK for four years. She loves the “lightbulb moments” in the classroom where students are able to make cross-curricular connections and take control over their own learning!