Administration
Betsy Cory
Director of Lower School Student Support Services and Lower School Counselor
Betsy Cory is a Bay Area native who has been working with children for over 20 years in different capacities. She was the school counselor at Ecole Bilingue in Berkeley for 10 years prior to joining Black Pine Circle School in 2018. Before that, Betsy oversaw mental health services for Alameda Head Start, worked with at-risk teens in school-based settings, and developed an international arts-based education in public schools. Betsy began her career as a first grade teacher and went on to receive her M.A. in counseling, with a dual degree in school counseling and licensed clinical counseling. When Betsy isn’t at BPC, she has a private practice, where she works with children, teens, and families. She has two teenage sons and enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, dancing, hiking and gardening.
Why I Work with Children
I’ve always loved working with children. They help me see the world with fresh eyes. I feel we are shaped by them as much, if not more, than they are shaped by us. I particularly love their deep sense of curiosity and wonderment about the world, as well as their ability to withhold judgment and forgive. I feel that at the core of our human experience is the need to be seen and valued and believe this may be the most important gift we can give children.
A Favorite Book
My favorite children’s book is Boris and Amos by William Steig. It’s a sweet and beautiful story of an unlikely friendship. My favorite middle childhood book (though I’ve also enjoyed reading it as an adult) is the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It’s creatively written and asks philosophical questions that younger readers can understand and think about. One of my favorite books as an adult is Light In August by William Faulkner. He has a way of poignantly and poetically capturing truths about the world and about the human condition in a sentence.
Quick Fact
Trekked to the base camp of Mt. Everest
