Matt Slepin
Head Teacher
Matt has lived in quite a few places and pursued a number of interests. He taught courses in the evolving concept of magic in medieval Europe at Northwestern University and wrangled dishes at a dude ranch in the Sangre de Cristos mountains of Colorado. He taught Elizabethan history on a living history museum that not only sailed around Great Britain, but right through Loch Ness (he didn’t see any monsters though). For almost a decade, Matt worked in Maui, Hawaii on community development issues. He spent some time teaching in the Concord and Cambridge public school systems, as well as at the Cambridge Friends School, before landing at Eliot- Pearson Children’s School. His son says that he makes the best cinnamon rolls that he has ever eaten!
Patrick Shea
Assistant Teacher
Patrick Shea likes to spend his spare time listening to music, podcasts and watching sports. He loves finding and cooking new recipes after a trip to the farmer’s market. He loves the outdoors and hope to visit lots of dog friendly national parks with his partner and their dog this summer. When teaching, he believes play is the cornerstone of learning for young children. He loves the excitement, curiosity and fun that children bring with them every day to the classroom. He has a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s degree in education with a focus on teaching and learning.
Maria Paz Espin
Eliot-Pearson Fellow
Maria Paz Espin, is a second year Master’s student in the Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University. She is a first-generation college graduate from Dartmouth College, where she studied psychology and neuroscience. Maria been working with kids since she was 14; and her love for them grew when her nephew and niece were born. This past year Maria was an Eliot-Pearson Fellow in the Purple Room and is excited to continue being a Fellow in the Orange Room. This year, she will also be a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopment and related Disabilities (LEND) fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. Maria is originally from Chicago and she enjoys reading, watching movies, and yoga in her free time. She is ecstatic to continue caring for and learning from all the children at EPCS!
Disha Mittal
Eliot-Pearson Fellow
Disha Mittal is an international student from India. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is currently in her second year of master’s at Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development. Working with children brings her immense joy and happiness. When not working or studying, she enjoys traveling, baking, exploring new places, adventure sports and all things fun! She is thrilled to the EPCS community this school year.
Emma Trowbridge
Eliot-Pearson Fellow
Emma just finished her first year of graduate school at Tufts and she is excited to work at the Eliot-Pearson Children’s School. She is half-Japanese and half-American. She grew up in Baltimore and Washington, DC. She has played classical piano since she was six and jazz piano since the beginning of high school. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2022, majoring in film scoring with a minor in video game scoring. She worked at the Red Oak after school program in Chinatown from her first year at Berklee until last summer. She loves children and music and enjoy composing music for picture books and children’s films. You can check out her music on www.greenhalfnote.com
Melissa Rinzler
Floater Teacher
Melissa recently graduated from Tufts University with a major in Psychology and minor in Child Development. She has worked in Life Project, the Green Room and Summer Camp this past year, and she is very excited for another great year at EPCS!