Deirdre McCambridge and her husband, Thomas, are brand new to the Nashville area.  They moved here just this summer to be near family.  She has fallen in love with the area, the people and Montessori Academy.   She has a B.S. in Home Economics Education, a M.Ed. in Elementary Education and an Elementary I Montessori Certification.  Deirdre has over 13 years of experience working with young children, both in  Montessori and private schools.  She is thrilled to be back in a Montessori Environment.  "Our entire Toddler team is wonderful.  I am so blessed to be part of such a dedicated and loving group of teachers."

Deirdre's interests include knitting, crocheting, listening to music, watching movies and singing.  She especially enjoys the Practical 12Life Area of Montessori and brings the joyful love of learning to everything she does.  She, her husband and their two dogs live in the Franklin area.

Janene Becker was born and raised in the Dallas, Texas area where she studied music and child development at Texas Wesleyan College Ft. Worth.  During this time she taught preschool for four and five year old class rooms. She has also worked with day care for infants and school age children. During those early years of training in child development she was introduced to Montessori and knew that she wanted to be a part of the philosophy that develops confidence, independence and a child's full potential from infant to adulthood. She married her college sweetheart in 1981 and moved from Texas to her husband's home town in Sylvania, Ohio. In 1988 they moved to Brentwood, Tennessee where they have raised three sons. She worked as a children's choir director for 12 years, VBS music and drama leader for 10 years, and various volunteer jobs in her three son's schools.   She has performed in multiple singing groups since childhood and recently retired from a band that she performed in for 7 years in the Nashville area.  She loves to write songs for adults and children and is very close to her family.

Room 1

Mellynne Dickason hails from Mississippi where she received her B.A. in English with a minor in French and her M.A.  in English with a TESOL Emphasis.  After having received her Master’s degree, she relocated to Chicago with her husband and lived there for nine years.  She taught a variety of English/writing courses at several Chicago area colleges and worked for 7 years at Triton College where she was a full-time English Instructor until she and her husband Joe decided to relocate to be closer to family.  They decided on a point half way between Mississippi and North Carolina and chose Nashville. 

As a stay-at-home mom, she found Montessori Academy for her daughter Waverly who was a quiet child needing a calm environment in which to grow.  She discovered during Waverly’s kindergarten year that the reading teacher in her daughter’s class was leaving, so she eagerly applied and was hired.  She had already grown to love the Montessori philosophy of being child centered, so working in the school was amazing.  Her other daughter Kalee, who was three, started at Montessori Academy for the first time.  Mellynne worked on her Montessori certification during the summers of 2008 and 2009 at Montessori Educators International and received her certification during the spring of 2011.  She loves working in the 3-6 year old class teaching children to love reading and books just as her family does.   

Andrea Johnson began working at Montessori Academy after graduating from Overton High School in 1999. She began in the aftercare program and moved into the primary classroom after completion of her A.A. degree. She taught Practical Life in Room 4 from 2006 through spring 2011. In the fall of 2011, she joined Ms. Dickason to re-open room 1. She is a trained and accomplished Practical Life teacher and will complete her Early Childhood Montessori training during the summer of 2011.  Andrea also has been the lead teacher coordinator for the summer camp program for two years.

Room 2

Beth Woodard is originally from Springfield, TN where she grew up working and playing on her family’s farm.  She enjoys being outside and loves participating in all kinds of sports.  Growing up her sports of choice were mostly softball, soccer, and basketball. She is really looking forward to moving back to the Nashville area.   

Beh attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where she received a Bachelor in Early Childhood Development and a Masters in Early Childhood Education, as well as her teaching license for pre-k through 3rd grade.  While she was attending UT, Ishe began working at Knoxville Montessori School as an after care teacher.  It did not take long for her to fall in love with Montessori method for education.  What had originally been a part-time job while she was an undergraduate, quickly became a calling.  Beth ended up staying on as an after care teacher at Knoxville Montessori all the way through her undergraduate experience, and only left during graduate school when it was time for her to complete her student teaching year in a Knox county school.

She completed her student teaching internship teaching Kindergarten at Fort Craig School of Dynamic Learning in Maryville, TN with a nine week rotation teaching first grade at Christenberry Elementary, an inner-city school in Knoxville.  While she did enjoy her time teaching in traditional school settings, it also reaffirmed her desire to get her Montessori teaching certification and teach in a Montessori primary class.

After completing her graduate work at UT, she began working on her Montessori certification at Belmont University in Nashville, where she earned a Masters in Teaching/Montessori Certification for Primary.  She completed her internship teaching year at Knoxville Montessori School and continued teaching there as a lead teacher for an additional three years. 

"The more time I have spent in a Montessori environment, the stronger my dedication has become to this philosophy of education.  I am very excited to be joining the Montessori Academy family and look forward to getting to know each of the children and families." 


Angel Gaither is a (3-6) AMS Certified Montessori teacher with 7 years of teaching experience in private as well as public Montessori school settings.   She received her Montessori training from the South Florida Montessori Education Center and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida Atlantic University. Smoved to the area a year ago from Texas with my husband of 19 years, Sam, and 2 wonderful children, Berkeley and Austin.
 
"I love being a Montessori teacher because it allows me to teach the individual child with hands on material.  I also enjoy the relationships that are built between the teachers, students and families over the years." 

Room 3

Lisa Hill is a native of Nashville, Tennessee.  She received her B.S. in Psychology from Tennessee State University and her M.A.T. and AMS primary certification from Belmont University.  She enjoys reading, travel, and working in her garden.  She loves teaching in a Montessori classroom because it give her the freedom to follow each child's interest and watch them grow and develop over a three year period.   

Before beginning her teaching career, she worked in research at Vanderbilt University for several years and as a puppeteer with Kid's on the Block for a year. She has worked at Montessori Academy since 2008.

     She met her husband, Patrick, while in Tampa, Florida.  They have been married 30 years. Together they have three--now grown--children.  Leanna became familiar with Montessori education while in Tampa, Florida (having a nephew and a niece attending a montessori school there).  Although she and Pat had no children at the time they fell in love with Montessori and hoped to be able to raise their own children through the same method someday.  Their first born, Kara, began attending Montessori Academy at age four (in 1987)--their son, Casey, at age 3 (in 1989) and their third, Kelsey, at age 2 1/2 (in 1990).  Leanna's favorite hobby during those years was watching anything her children enjoyed which included sports, dance, chess, friends...life in general.  Now grown, the two older children are registered nurses and the third is a dance teacher.  Just ask her if she's proud. 

Orachon Chintanaphol

Romella Bermillo Lee is the second from the youngest of five children, born and raised in the Philippines. She attended the University of the Philippines and graduated with a Bachelor in Secondary Education with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Filipino Language. In 1994 I she joined her family who had moved to  Okinawa, Japan in the late 80’s. Mrs. Lee was first introduced to the Montessori philosophy when a friend asked her to substitute for her at East-West Montessori School in Okinawa, Japan. The school served as an alternative to the public school system for American military children and English language immersion program for young Japanese children. She was quite impressed at the success of  the program despite the vast diversity of its population and she worked there until 1997.

While in Okinawa, she met, and later married, Richard Lee from Nashville, TN who was stationed and serving at a U.S. Marine Corps Base. She is blessed with two wonderful boys, Ryan (12) and Reece (6).

Mrs. Lee worked at Murfreesboro Montessori before coming to Montessori Academy in 2001. She believes that Montessori Academy offers an environment that provides young children an excellent foundation for learning success and feels very fortunate that her children are getting such a valuable foundation. She enjoys her job and finds it very rewarding!

Room 10

Marynet King began her teaching career at Montessori Academy in 1988 when Mrs. Eileen Bernstorf asked her if she had ever considered becoming a Montessori teacher.  The more she learned about the Montessori philosophy of education, the more convinced she was that she did indeed want to become a Montessori teacher. Since that time she has taught at the Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary and Middle School levels and has had training at all levels.  She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Jacksonville State University and a M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University.  She worked as a Clinical Therapist and Licensed Psychological Examiners before coming to M.A.

Her favorite pastime is spending time with her family.  She enjoys traveling, gardening, and reading great literature.  She and her husband, Gerald, have three children and three grandchildren.  All of their children attended M.A., and their three grandchildren will also. 

She feels strongly that the Montessori philosophy and approach to education is extraordinary because, “It fosters a love of learning, encourages and supports the pursuit of individual interests, and facilitates the development of talents.  It celebrates diversity and instills respect for oneself, others, and the environment.”

Joyce Stewart

This is her fifteenth year teaching in an elementary Montessori program--9 years at Hull-Jackson Montessori and 6 years at Montessori Academy. Her interests are growing things, hiking, and traveling with her husband, Glen. She and Glen have one son who lives in Seattle. She is a member of American Montessori Society, National Reading Association, Phi Delta Kappa, and Mensa.

Lisa Quinn was born in a small town in Montana.  She and her three sisters grew up on a sheep ranch that was near a very small town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.   She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Montana State University in Bozeman.  Mrs. Quinn took advantage of a program at this university that allowed her to complete her student teaching in Scotland and lived with her mother’s family during that semester.  She and her husband lived for a short time in south Florida before relocating and settling in Nashville. Mrs. Quinn taught at a public Montessori school in Nashville and during this time she earned her Lower Elementary Montessori certification.   She recently completed a Master of Education degree that focused on Montessori principles. Mrs. Quinn and her husband have two sons and two cats and spend much of their time watching their boys play sports.  She loves to read and work in her garden.  

Maureen Wildman first encountered "Montessori" when she read a book by Joseph C. Pearce praising the merits of Montessori education and the values it instilled in children. Ms. Wildman enrolled her daughter at the age of 4 in 1988 at Montessori Centre. She became a parent volunteer, a substitute, and to her own amazement, she began Montessori training in the summer of 1989.

Helena Hess

Helena is also the Director of the Upper Elementary and Middle School programs.

Elisabeth Gay first joined the teaching staff at Montessori Academy in 2000 as an Upper Elementary Teacher. After marriage, a few years, and three children later, she returned to Nashville and Montessori Academy. Almost ten years after beginning her Elementary II Montessori Training, she completed the Elementary II Training in the summer of 2011. She holds a B.A. from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina and a state teaching certificate. Her three children are enrolled at Montessori Academy.

Ms. Gay speaks English, French, and German, enjoys music, drama, and quilting in addition to camping, hiking, boating, and skiing.
 

Herman E. Jackson holds Bacheolor's, Master's, and a doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in areas of chemistry, biology, and mathematics and mathematics education. He has been teaching at Montessori Academy since 2002 in the area of mathematics and science.  Prior to working at Montessori Academy he worked as an Associated Research Development Engineer in Chemical Research and Development at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Manager at AT&T Traffic Engineering, and Instructor of Mathematics at Knoxville College and the University of Tennessee. He has been an Assistant Professor of Mathematics & Adjunct Professor of Mathematics at Walters State Community College, Trevecca Nazarene Univeristy, and Nashville State Community College. His consulting work has consisted of: Exam grader for the Tennessee State Mathematics Contest held at the University of Tennessee; Guest Lecture during Metric Week at Knoxville College in Business Department - Topic: "Metric in the Business World;" VIP Host, Regional meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Louisville, Kentucy; Board of Directors, Bib Brother/Sisters of Knoxville, Tennessee; AT&T Exhibitor at the 1982 Worlds Fair, Knoxville, Tennessee; Junior Achievement Executive Advisor for AT&T; Loaned Executive, Junior Achievement of Nashville Fund Raising Drive. Dr. Jackson has presented papers at the Mathematics Association of American annual conference ("A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Three Instructional Formats in Introductory Calculus for Students from Different Ability Levels") and at the Tennessee Mathematics Teacher's Association ("Junior High School Mathematics Teaching, A Potpourri of Ideas for Teaching Strategies").

Dr. Jackson currently teaches science and math in the Upper Elementary/Middle School. Students become very inspired to progress under his leadership and facilitation.

Specials Teachers

Band

Rick Palmiter joined the Montessori Academy teaching staff in January of 2011. Rick is a versatile and multi-talented musician who began his "music" career with the Cincinnati Youth Orchestra as a Trombonist in 1969. He received his Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music Education degrees from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. He has been the Teacher/Director of Instrumental music at University School, Brentwood Academy, Christ Presbyterian Academy and Poplar Grove School. He has directed the Williamson County Youth Orchestra, the West Franklin Baptist Church Orchestra, and played/directed the Continental Orchestra. He is developing the band at Montessori Academy and says, "he loves teaching beginners!" He currently also teaches at Brentwood Academy as their "Lower Brass" Instructor.

Chorus/General Music:

Mark Woodward

During this time, Mark began teaching private music lessons.  He found that he enjoyed the work, and his student base grew steadily over the next five years while he travelled with bands and did local charity work. 

In 2010, Woodward began teaching Music and Drama at Montessori Academy.  In his first year, he founded the Winter Revue, a variety show, presenting the best in Montessori talent.  The Revue’s debut performance drew rave reviews from faculty and parents alike.

“I would have to say that my favorite thing about teaching is the variety it offers – like a good restaurant buffet.  I always try a little bit of everything.  The students here at Montessori are like that buffet.  They all come bursting with unique talents and gifts.  I spot something that I like, whether it’s a knack for writing songs or a unique stage personality, and I develop and grow it as far as it wants to go.”

This creative approach led Woodward to record a special project of student-composed music in the spring of 2011.  Click here for a sample!

Orchestra/Strings:
Cheri Beckerman has been teaching at Montessori Academy since 2000. Ms. Beckerman holds a Bachelor's degree from Boston University. She maintains a private violin and viola studio, as well as running the Lower Elementary Suzuki Violin program and the Upper Elementary Strings classes. She has Suzuki training through book 6 and takes many continuing education classes. She has performed with the Memphis Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic, the Western Kentucky Symphony, and the Palm Beach Opera. She occassionally performs with the Nashville Symphony. Cheri has played on many recordings and has appeared on videos with many country and Christian artists, including Vince Gill. She has conducted the Murfreesboro Youth Symphony, the Middle Tennessee Summer Youth Orchestra, and the Williamson County String Bash. Ms. Beckerman strives to keep balance in her busy life and career, as she has a 3 year old son, Max, in room 1. "I couldn't think of doing anything else; I do what I love!"

Art
Katherine (Kay) Mattingly has been teaching art in some form for the last 32 years. It all began when her high school art teacher recommended her to a local elementary school as an art instructor for their after school program. She took on the task and her path in art was set. At the University of Kentucky, she received a Bachelor's of Art. in K-12 Art Education. She moved to Los Angeles, California and continued her education at Loyola Marymount University receiving her Master's of Art degree in Clinical Art Therapy, Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling. For the next five years she counseled severly emotionally disturbed children and their families. It was during this time that she developed the fundamental belief that the art process lends itself naturally to therapeutic catharsis and cognitive development.

In 1994, Kay moved to Nashville and enrolled her children at Montessori Academy. She was asked to join the staff as a science teacher in Primary Room 3. She received Montessori training and taught science part-time for three years. When the position of art teacher opened, Kay moved into what she considered the "perfect" position. She has been teaching art at MA since 2004. In addition to two fabulous art shows each year that highlights work of MA students, Kay builds and designs sets for drama and musical productions at MA, has donated art work for school auctions, and teaches arts and crafts during summer camp.
 




Physical Education/Athletic Director
Gar Vallone is entering his first year at Montessori Academy. He holds a BA in History from UCLA where he was a Captain of the UCLA baseball team. Following college Mr. Vallone played professional baseball for the Anaheim Angels and ended his professional career as a coach for the Angels. Along with teaching Mr. Vallone is a varsity baseball coach at Ensworth High School and spends his summers as an instructor at Vanderbilt's youth baseball camps. Prior to entering the teaching profession Mr. Vallone spent twelve years in Marketing at several technology companies in California.

Spanish
Ana Benavides was born and raised in San José, Costa Rica, where she acquired a bachelor’s degree in law and the right to practice as a Public Notary. Before moving to Brentwood,TN she practiced law for 5 years in a corporation of lawyers named C.A. Law Group. She still works as a correspondent for this firm here in Nashville. During this time she was also a teacher at a school called C.P.I, teaching college level Spanish to students from around the world. She specialized in grammar, but she also taught listening, conversation, and writing.

Four years ago, after marrying her husband, a Photographer and Web Developer from Hendersonville, TN, she moved to Nashville. She became pregnant shortly after, this is when she began researching which schools could offer her soon to be born son the best education. During her research she ran across a book called "Montessori Madness" by Trevor Eissler, this really sparked her interest in the Montessori teaching method. When she saw the opening for a Spanish teacher at Montessori Academy, she knew right away this would be the perfect opportunity to see this method first hand. Ana is very passionate about teaching her language to others, and especially loves teaching children.