My Why Story

I have always loved the outdoors and teaching. I grew up in and around Montessori schools both as a student and helping in my mother’s classrooms, who is also a Montessori teacher, and so becoming a teacher felt very natural. Growing up in the mountains in Montana inspired my admiration for the natural world and I’ve been helping in gardens since I was a tiny tot.

One of my most treasured experiences outside of the classroom was leading a volunteer gardening program in New South Wales, Australia that focused on sustainable permaculture methods and syntrophic farming techniques. Introducing people to the joys of horticulture and nature observation is an honor and great privilege that I look forward to sharing with our San Tan community.

I am so excited to dovetail my Montessori training with our outdoor environment because I believe that children flourish in a Montessorian learning environment where they can develop a profound love of discovery-based learning and a “can-do” approach to problem solving all while enjoying the fresh air and interacting with life itself. I sincerely believe that experiences with nature and horticulture are key to raising the next generation of responsible, caring, and deeply connected citizens of our beautiful planet.