Before joining Puddletown in 2020, Ali spent several years working in public Montessori. She was born and raised in Columbus, Indiana and graduated from DePauw with a degree in Environmental Geoscience. In 2016, Ali moved to Portland for a position at a public Montessori school as an assistant in an upper elementary classroom. She then completed her AMI Elementary 6-12 training and MEd from Loyola University Maryland. As an educator, Ali is motivated by community, connection and empowerment. In addition to teaching credentials, Ali has experience utilizing restorative justice and anti-racist anti-bias (ABAR) practices. When she's not teaching, Ali is making art, hiking, or reading. She and her partner love spending time exploring all the great nooks and crannies Portland has to offer, both indoors and outdoors!
Allison was raised on the East Coast and discovered Montessori education while teaching at Saint Maur International School in Yokohama, Japan. She connected with Maria Montessori’s pedagogical approach that each child has the potential to self-create and offer their innate gifts to our world. Allison received her AMI Primary diploma at the Washington Montessori Institute in DC, where she studied under Hildegard Solzbacher, and her AMI Infancy diploma under Dr. Silvana Montanaro at the Montessori Institute in San Diego. She taught at Marin Montessori School in Corte Madera, CA, and was the founder of Laurelhurst Montessori School in Portland, OR, which she led for over a decade. Allison holds a BA degree in English and Drama from Saint Mary’s College of Maryland. With a deep passion for early childhood education within the Montessori framework, she is dedicated to helping each child realize their full potential through exploration, discovery and independence in a nurturing and respectful environment. In her free time Allison enjoys traveling, creating art, and exploring in nature with her two daughters.
Andi was born in Denver, Colorado and spent her childhood there. She moved to Oregon when she was in middle school, and fell in love with the northwest so she never left. Andi graduated from Oregon State University and worked for several years in the insurance business before starting a family. When her first daughter was born over 13 years ago, she decided to become a stay at home mom. Then when her daughter was old enough for preschool she knew she wanted her to attend Montessori just like herself, because it had such a positive impact on her life.
Once she discovered Puddletown she never looked back, and her oldest attended through third grade. Now her youngest children represent all three preschool-kindergarten classrooms. When not at Puddletown, Andi enjoys being with family, cooking, camping, hanging out with her dogs, slowly renovating her old house, and listening to music.
Andrea received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Creative Writing from Colorado State University. After graduating she headed a creative writing and arts program at a local Fort Collins, Colorado preschool. Andrea then moved to Portland where she began assisting and teaching at the Northwest Children’s Theater. She returned to school in 2001 to receive her Montessori Primary 3-6 Diploma from Montessori Northwest and a Master's of Montessori Education from Loyola University. She has worked with many Portland public schools and local Montessori schools through outreach and other after school programs. Andrea has served on the Oregon Montessori Association Board. Since stepping back from her leadership role at Puddletown, she started showstopper cookies! In her free time Andrea enjoys baking, walking her dog, traveling, reading and swimming in the ocean.
Andy was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and moved to Portland in 2002. Andy worked all over the city before starting a family, and becoming a stay-at-home dad. He spent many years as a parent volunteer in Puddletown's Outdoor Classroom prior to formally becoming the Outdoor Classroom assistant in 2021 when his love for the Puddletown community and for childhood wonder drove him to this as a new career. When Andy's not at school, he enjoys reading comic books, DJing, exploring new restaurants, live music, stand-up comedy, podcasting, and skateboarding.
Angela was born and raised in Southern New Jersey near Philadelphia and considers herself a jack-of-all-trades. In 2004 she attended the University of the Arts as a Craft/Metals major, with a focus on body adornment/jewelry. In 2012, Angela moved to Portland to officially study Middle Eastern Dance. While embarking on a dance career, she began training at Montessori Northwest where she received her AMI Primary Montessori Education as well as an MEd from Loyola University Maryland.
In 2019, Angela made another decision to become a Death Midwife (www.heartwisewoman.com). Angela hopes to educate those around her, young and old - to teach them that death doesn’t have to be a scary thing to talk about. When not at Puddletown, Angela is baking, reading, dancing, hanging with horses or creating in her art studio. She and her husband love spending time exploring, staying at various Air BNBs, creating jewelry together, and snuggling and singing to their cats!
In 2012 Augusta moved from Brazil to the Pacific Northwest where she first resided in Washougal, WA and now here in Portland. She lives with her son Owen and their cat Nutella. Augusta graduated in business administration many moons ago and worked in accounting, fashion, and the public sector. In 2020, Augusta joined Puddletown, earned her Master's degree in teaching and completed her Montessori teaching certification. Working in a school like Puddletown brings a smile to her face every morning. Other reasons to smile are traveling, reading, watching movies, listening to music, dancing, spending time with her family, meditating, and learning languages. Besides her native Portuguese, Augusta speaks English, Spanish, French, and Italian.
Blair was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and grew up on the eastern side of Washington state. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Portland State University, majoring in Community Development with a minor in Sustainable Urban Development. After several years of working in the nonprofit sector, Blair had the pleasure of staying home with her children who went on to join a Montessori classroom. Blair immediately fell in love with Montessori and decided to return to school to deepen her knowledge of the subject. Blair completed her AMI Primary training at Montessori Northwest in conjunction with earning a Master’s degree in Montessori Education from Loyola University. Upon graduating, she has worked as both an assistant and lead guide in the Portland Montessori scene.
In her free time, Blair enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters hiking, camping and backpacking; reading, gardening, embroidering, making sourdough bread, cooking delicious vegan meals and playing with the family’s dog Max.
Carissa is a visual artist raised in Laurel, Oregon. She studied Studio Art and has been assisting and mentoring art classes since graduating in 2019 as well as curating art exhibitions for emerging artists. She has an affinity for material-driven artwork and loves to use textiles or paint small moments. At 20 years old she solo-traveled internationally for the first time, which sparked a prioritization for international experiences in her life, resulting in more travel for work, studying and experience itself. After living in Berlin for two years as a nanny and moving back to her original home, Oregon, she started exploring Montessori concepts and felt connected to the values and support it offers children. Carissa loves breakfast outside, swimming outside, rain, dancing with friends and crafting.
Celine is the Staff Resource Coordinator at Puddletown. In their role, Celine supports the team by connecting with staff - whether it's accessing internal tools and support offered by Puddletown or finding external resources. They are passionate about supporting educators, working collaboratively towards liberatory education, and fostering a work environment where staff feel valued as whole people. Alongside their resource coordination duties, Celine also assists with day-to-day operations, ensures state compliance, and helps coordinate Puddletown's aftercare program and camps.
Celine began their journey at Puddletown as a substitute teacher, where they quickly developed a passion for Montessori education. This passion led them to a role as a classroom assistant in the Sage Classroom, where they spent four fulfilling years. Outside of school, Celine enjoys spending time with their three beloved cats, cooking delicious food, and taking naps.
Growing up in Corvallis, Corinne's mom was an assistant in a Montessori preschool-kindergarten classroom while Corinne attended another Montessori program nearby. Corinne has BA in English from University of Oregon, AMI Primary Diploma from Montessori Northwest (MNW), and M.Ed from Loyola University of Maryland. Corinne spent 12 years as Primary Course Assistant at MNW, has served on the board of the Oregon Montessori Association (OMA), and is a past recipient of the OMA Outstanding Dedication Award. Corinne enjoys working with both adult and child members of the Montessori community. She joined Puddletown as the Outdoor Classroom Guide in 2018, and has been on the administrative team since 2021. Her favorite Montessori role, however, has been parenting her own Montessori learner/daughter who was in Montessori from age 2-14. In Corinne's free time, she enjoys visiting the Oregon Coast, working on her home's Backyard Habitat, learning about the natural world, and cuddling her pets.
Emi has been the lead guide in the Lavender classroom since 2014. Before joining Puddletown in 2011 as the assistant in the Lavender classroom, Emi had worked in varied environments caring for children including daycare, summer camp, and nanny work. Emi received a BA in Psychology from University of Hartford. Once arriving in Portland from the east coast, she received her AMI Primary diploma from Montessori Northwest. Emi is committed to the essence of the Montessori method and believes in the marvel of the true nature of the child. In her free time, Emi enjoys walking, writing, drawing, cooking, listening to records and spending time with her family.
Emilia grew up in the Twin Cities, before traveling out west to Vancouver, BC to attend the University of British Columbia. They studied cognitive systems and computer science, and really found their groove in a teaching assistant position, ultimately deciding to switch paths towards education. Since then, they’ve worked at a natural history museum, teaching earth and planetary sciences to incoming field trips, and led an after care program at a French immersion elementary. They’re excited to join the Puddletown team this year and cook up some fun aftercare activities. Outside of school, Emilia enjoys thrifting, playing board and card games, writing when the mood strikes, and spending time with friends.
Erin came to Puddletown via Edinburgh, Scotland, where she had been teaching during the Pandemic. Originally from the States, Erin was born in Woodstock, NY and spent her early years running around a small island in the Gulf of Mexico. She grew up a Montessori child, and has spent the last 20+ years working in education as a teacher, administrator and as a caregiver. Erin holds dual Bachelor's Degrees from Brandeis University, a Master's Degree in Visual Arts, as well as her AMI Montessori Diploma for Adolescents. With a few years spent as a Fine Arts professor, Erin has experienced working with all of Montessori's four stages of development, but finds herself most intrigued and engaged with the big changes that happen during the first and third planes. Erin's own adolescent graduated high school last spring! Erin loves art, music, reading, travel, and learning new things. Her favorite bird is the burrowing owl.
Erin began volunteering as a Puddletown parent in 2013 and has been a staff member at Puddletown since 2017. She is a former therapist to children and families. Erin has an MS in Counseling Psychology from Lewis and Clark Graduate College and a BA in Political Science from Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University. It was at Lewis and Clark where Erin's interest in Montessori sparked, and she graduated knowing that she really wanted any of her future children to attend a Montessori program or school. As soon as she met Sam and Andrea, then the lovely teaching staff at Puddletown, she knew this was where she wanted her kids to stay, and for as long as possible. Erin wishes for and wants to work toward the Montessori experience being available to all children and interested families. She has a long history in research (marketing and scholarly), making her inquisitive, efficient and organized. She's slowly run a marathon and many halves, played roller derby competitively across the country, and now is well practiced at home improvement projects, singing camp songs and playing elaborate rounds of charades with her three fantastic children (all Puddletowners) and thespian-at-heart husband, Eddie.
Before joining the Puddletown family, Keith worked in the public Montessori realm for four years. Keith was born and raised in the cornfields of Illinois, where they attended Northern Illinois University for a degree in Environmental Geosciences. Upon graduation, Keith worked as a Ranger for the National Park Service, traveling to unique places as far off as Alaska. As a lifelong learner, Keith was called to work in education where their passion for imaginative play has found purpose. Since then, they have fallen in love with Portland for its quirkiness and natural beauty. When not teaching, Keith enjoys outdoor adventures, tabletop roleplaying games, and painting their hundreds of miniatures.
Lee joined Puddletown in 2022 as a regular substitute for Red Cedar. Before helping at Puddletown, they taught high school history, government, and economics in traditional schools in the Portland area since 2013. Lee is originally from Boston, but fell in love with Portland when they came here to get their BA in religion at Reed College. They also have a graduate degree in religion and history from the University of Oxford, as well as their MA in Teaching from Lewis and Clark. Lee is thrilled to be experiencing Montessori education for the first time alongside their own kids in the Sage and Red Cedar classrooms! When not teaching, Lee is likely in the garden at home, unless they are playing video games.
Mac was mainly raised in the Woodstock/Johnson Creek area of Portland and has seen it change for decades. Mac studied at Willamette University where she received a B.A. Sociology and held a prestigious scholarship for Theatre, spending much of their four years studying the art form. As a general support staff person, Mac works with the 3-6 year olds, the elementary learners and the guides in their environments, to do what they can to further the Montessori experience for everyone. They value safety and compassion, and are deeply interested in people and how they come to be. (Hence Sociology and Theatre.)
As a new Montessorian, learning the philosophy and praxis has felt life affirming, and she is eager to continue learning every day. Some of the things they love most are playing guitar, seeing art and listening to music, writing, cooking, walking, watching tv and hanging out with friends.
Maggie joined Puddletown in December 2023. She has a BA in Urban Planning, Public Policy and Nonprofit Management from University of Oregon. Maggie was born and raised in Portland, and is happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest after spending a year in Chicago. She decided to pursue working in a school after spending her first summer back as a nanny for a wonderful toddler. She loves learning about Montessori philosophy and seeing each child grow in their self confidence each day. Outside of school Maggie likes to roller skate, wander through the library and watch movies.
Rachael earned her AMI 3-6 Primary diploma from Montessori Northwest and is currently finishing up her M.Ed. in Montessori Education from Whitworth University. She was a Montessori child herself, and spent several years teaching 6th-8th grade in Iowa before moving here to Portland. After several years immersing herself in books at Powell’s Books, Rachael is returning to her Montessori roots. She appreciates the power Montessori has to support transformation in the child, the adult, and the community. When not at Puddletown, you can usually find her reading, running, working on a craft project, or learning to play the banjo.
After working in more traditional educational settings, Sam volunteered in a Montessori classroom on the Oregon Coast to develop an immersion program for Spanish speaking students. He went on to get his Montessori 3-6 Primary Diploma from Montessori Northwest and a Master's of Education from Loyola University in Baltimore and has been invested in Montessori education since 1996. He began teaching in Connecticut at a Montessori school with the Hartford Public School system, becoming involved in the planning and development of the Learning Corridor with Trinity College. After returning to the Pacific Northwest, Sam taught at an Elementary program and worked to establish a Montessori middle school. Eventually the desire to return to the Primary classroom and a willing partner led to starting Puddletown School.