Staff
Directress & Teacher:
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Jean Chorbajian Jean received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mathematics from Iowa State University. She has worked in research at the Geophysical Institute in College, Alaska and worked on her doctorate in Applied Mathematics and Physics at the University of Alaska. After the birth of her first daughter, Jean learned about Montessori as her daughter attended a school in Pittsburgh. When the family moved to Toledo and found there were no Montessori schools, Jean took Montessori training from Dr. Helen Billings and opened her own Montessori school. She operated that school for 15 years before moving to Colorado. Jean loves to see the children learning so many things that will help them in their later school years- especially mathematics.
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| Academic Coordinator : | Beth Weekley |
| Teachers: | |
Christine Lowry I recently moved here from North Carolina, where I both administered and taught at a Montessori school which I began in 1992. Prior to becoming a Montessori teacher at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in North Carolina, I received my M.Ed. in special education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I worked in a variety of settings with special needs students for about 10 years. I have found this education and experience an invaluable contribution as I have worked with young children in the Montessori classroom. |
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Laurie Barkin Laurie has been in Montessori pre-school education since 1996. She was owner, director and teacher for her own school in Austin, Texas for six years. She received her Montessori certificate from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder.
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Teaching Assistant:
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Denise Brinker I earned a Bachelors Degree in Psychology in 1991 at UNC-Charlotte. Afterwards, I trained to be an Instructor at the North Carolina Outward Bound School. Upon completion of Instructor training, I worked as an Instructor/Course Director at Wolfcreek Wilderness School, in Georgia, with children and adults on 7-26 day wilderness courses. This is where I realized that I wanted to teach and, more specifically, learned about the power of group circles and growth through self-discovery. I pursued my teaching certification (middle grades) at Appalachian State University and went on to teach Seventh Grade Social Studies and Reading at a K-8 Elementary School in Boone, N.C. When my daughter, Ashley, was three years old, I worked as a Teaching Assistant in Santa Fe, NM at Desert Montessori School. Ashley has been the center of my life for the past ten years and is now in the fourth grade. She enjoys acting, singing, dancing, skiing, horseback riding and playing the mandolin and piano. I'm very much enjoying watching her blossom and grow. |
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Maggie Ryel-Lindsay Ms. Maggie Ryel-Lindsey is the assistant teacher in Ms. Laurie's Montessori classroom. Maggie is a teacher who comes to us from a diverse background. She taught drama for a number of years. She directed the unabridged version of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing with a group of children ages 7-18 at a theatre arts camp. She taught Kindergarten art for one year and loved it! She also directed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids in Boulder, Colorado. Currently, she teaches Spanish (part-time) to 5 and 6-year-olds at Lyons Elementary School. Her interests in teaching include: movement, art, Spanish, music, literacy, nurturing creativity, language arts, geography, writing, and social studies. Her personal passions are yoga, hiking, reading, traveling, and hopefully, having a child of her own someday. Ms. Maggie finds Montessori Academy to be a truly nurturing, enriching environment and is thoroughly happy to be a part of it! |
Music Teacher:
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Ms. Amy Haywood , singer, storyteller, writer, and mother of two, grew up in Asia and sang in bands throughout high school. She worked summers in an orphanage in Viet Nam which sparked a lifelong devotion to young children. Amy obtained a BA in education and a second BA in English Literature at Guilford College with a minor in Music. She has been teaching Musicare since 1987. In 1999, Amy and four other Musicare instructors created, Camp Oonie Koonie Cha, an early childhood music camp in Winston-Salem. Musicare and Camp OKC, nourish Amy's profound interest in children. In addition to educating children, Amy conducted workshops for teachers through Smart Start in North Carolina, and she was a key note presenter at the South Carolina early childhood educators conference. Amy and her music partner, Claire Valine have won two Parents' Choice Awards for children's music recordings. They have five works. |
Spanish & Music Instruction
We also offer Spanish instruction and music classes with professionals in these areas. Both are provided two afternoons a week and are included with the afternoon tuition and fees for these days.
Careers
We are always looking for qualified individuals to join us. Please contact us for more information. A great experience and satisfaction are guaranteed.