LOOK WHOSE TALKING!

2024 Presenter
Information

Tina Booth

Tina Booth is the Director of Adolescent Training at Train Montessori. She has worked as an adolescent guide and administrator in public, private, urban, and land-based Montessori adolescent communities since 2001. She is trained at the 6-12 and 12-18 levels and holds a BA in Archaeological Studies from Boston University (MA), and an MA in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University (AZ). She is interested in better understanding issues of equity, inclusion, accessibility, and methods of building resiliency for both children and adults in Montessori environments.

Dr. Paige M. Bray

Director of the Center for Montessori Studies and Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Hartford, has worked with colleagues, allies and accomplices in community to address systemic inequities for over three decades. Her teaching expertise focuses on the personal “reflexes” and professional identity transitions. An activist for children with families, Dr. Bray’s research is grounded by a community context and consistently emphasizes human capacity as knowledge producers as well as knowledge consumers. Bray integrates her research, theory, and practice through the URBAN network by focusing on public scholarship.

Bodeene Amyot Cairdeas

Digital and Audiovisual Archivist at James Madison University Libraries, previously managed the Indigenous Mukurtu Hub at the University of Oregon Libraries. She holds degrees in History, Montessori Education, Information and Library Science, and postgraduate certificates in Archival Studies and Documentary Production. Bodeene's research focuses on oral histories, ethically-minded digital curation, accessible audiovisual archives, and participatory taxonomy construction.

MIchael Rode

Michael Rode is an adolescent guide at Strata Montessori Adolescent School in Dundas, Ontario. He received his AMI Primary diploma in 2014 from the Foundation for Montessori Education in Toronto, and his AMI Adolescent Diploma through Train Montessori. Michael is passionate about students finding their unique voice.

Kelly Jonelis

Kelly believes in the power of supporting the development of the whole person through education and inclusion. She has worked with adolescents aged 12-18 across multiple educational environments for 15 years. She is the Adolescent Program Director and Mathematics Guide at Wheaton Montessori School. She holds a Masters in Mathematics from Aurora University, a Bachelors in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Math and Science Education from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Montessori Adolescent Certification from the Association Montessori Internationale.

Andrew Faulstich

Andrew believes in the potential for education to be transformative for all students. He has worked across K-12 and higher education in the U.S. and China. He is the Co-Founder of the Enlightened Educator Project and the Curriculum and Pedagogy Coordinator and Humanities Guide at the Oneness-Family Montessori High School. He holds a Masters in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, a Bachelors in Anthropology from the University of Rochester, and a Montessori Adolescent Certification from the Association Montessori Internationale.

Geoff Bigler

Before joining the Math Institute, Geoff Bigler taught at the Montessori High School at University Circle alongside Michael Waski. Together, they developed new materials, projects, and a prepared mathematics environment. Geoff comes from a unique background of architecture before finding his way to education and Montessori. He took his AMI Adolescent Orientation training in 2012 and received his AMI Adolescent diploma in 2023.

Emma rodwin (she/her)

Before joining the Math Institute, Geoff Bigler taught at the Montessori High School at University Circle alongside Michael Waski. Together, they developed new materials, projects, and a prepared mathematics environment. Geoff comes from a unique background of architecture before finding his way to education and Montessori. He took his AMI Adolescent Orientation training in 2012 and received his AMI Adolescent diploma in 2023.

Hanna Holcomb

Hanna grew up in Eastern Connecticut and has been living in the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem since 2019. In college, she studied biology and English, which sparked an interest in making science fun and accessible for all learners. She has worked as a naturalist educator for Grand Targhee Resort and Yellowstone National Park and served as a remote AmeriCorps member with Teton Science Schools in 2020. She joined TSS’s Field Instructor team in January 2023 before moving into her role as a Program Coordinator. She loves connecting students with the region’s rich ecosystem and history through hands-on lessons and is excited to bring her passion for learning to this new role. In her spare time, Hanna enjoys skiing, running, and starting crafts that she rarely finishes.

leslie cook

Leslie’s interests in science and getting kids outside led her to attend Wolf Ridge
Environmental Learning Center’s Graduate Program in Finland, Minnesota. She completed her
Master’s degree at Prescott College focused on understanding how educators connect students
to place. Those graduate studies led her to Teton Science Schools where she has been since
2008. Leslie works with Professional Learning and Graduate Program teams, facilitating
training for in-service and pre-service teachers near the Tetons, across the US, and around the
world.

Megan matilda abad jugo

Megan is a Grade 12 student in the Humanities and Social Sciences strand of Temple Hill International School. With a heavy passion and love for reading various literary works and writing, she is the former Managing Editor and the current Editor-in-Chief of Hiraya, the school's official student-led news publication.

Colin Daniel Abad Jugo

Colin is a 12th-grade Humanities and Social Science student at Temple Hill International School. He is a founding member and the first Editor-in-Chief of Hiraya,
establishing the foundation for the student news publication. Currently, Colin is pursuing musical theatre and has starred in various school and workshop productions.

Lorenz Allan Hernandez

A high school English teacher with a passion for journalism and reading education. He recently completed his Master’s in Education with a focus on International Teaching at Framingham State University, Bangkok Cohort. Lorenz serves as a language teacher, student publication adviser, and high school coordinator at Temple Hill International
School.

Feliz perez

Feliz Perez has been teaching at the Laren School Adolescent Program for 10 years. She took the AMI Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies in 2011. When she isn't in the classroom she helps run a family restaurant and bookshop in her hometown.

Delia Venema

Delia Venema is an artist and educator who teaches at Steppingstones Montessori in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She remembers her time as a student in a Montessori classroom, is a parent of Montessori kids, and has spent the last five years working in a variety of Montessori levels: Infant & Toddler, Children's House, Elementary and a Middle School Program. She has used the knowledge gleaned from those experiences, along with her skills as an artist and master's degree in art education to construct an art enrichment program for students' kindergarten through ninth grade. Delia is a Michigan certified K-12 art educator of 25 years. In her free time, she creates her own artwork merging fiber arts with jewelry making.

Jimmy McCue

Jimmy McCue, an educator at Embark Education in Denver, also coaches at Open Way Learning and serves on advisory boards for What School Could Be and Mathkind. He promotes learner-centered strategies, racial equity, and collaboration, contributing insights to global education initiatives while fostering excellence through strategic leadership and continuous improvement.

Justin Metz (he/him)

Justin Metz is the Program Coordinator of Strata Montessori School. Justin received his Environmental Science Degree and his Environmental Conservation and Citizenship Diplomas from the University of Guelph. He received his Montessori Adolescent
Training Diploma from Hershey Montessori School in 2016. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Temagami Environment Research and Stewardship.

Koen Schaap

Koen Schaap is an all-round Montessori teacher, developer, coach, and trainer, and one of the designers of the Amsterdam Montessori Mastery Course. He has been working as a Montessori social science teacher in various secondary schools in the Netherlands and has a background as a school leader and subject didactics specialist. His expertise lies in connecting Montessori theory to practice, and he enjoys helping experienced Montessori teachers using a Socratic approach. His favorite Montessori quote as an educator is: "Education is not something which the teacher does, but it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.” (The Absorbent Mind).

Jose Aarts

Jose Aarts is a teacher and researcher Social Science, at a Montessori art school in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Jennifer John

Jennifer John, a Diné educator from Shiprock, NM, teaches at Keres Children’s Learning Center in Cochiti Pueblo. With over 18 years of experience in math and science, she values the Montessori approach that integrates students' culture and Keres language, collaborating with community members to enrich the curriculum.

Dale Naranjo

I am from the Pueblo of Cochiti. I am the Outdoor Educator at the Keres Children’s Learning Center. I believe in the mission of KCLC which is focused on the revitalization of our Keres language, culture and traditions. As the Outdoor Educator, I support the mission by providing outdoor experiences in our field, pig pen, and garden beds. I support the adolescent students with developing, planning, and implementing future projects and work related to our Cochiti Pueblo growing, harvesting, cooking, and food and seed preservation. I want KCLC to be a model for the community to revive and preserve these practices for future generations. I am excited for the students to learn the language and learn about who they are within the Cochiti Pueblo community and as a member of the larger indigenous community. I am also looking forward to learning about what other adolescent programs are doing so I can incorporate those practices into my lessons.

Dwight Mōdy

My English name is Dwight Mōdy and my clan is Cottonwood. My Keres name is Bird. I am from the Pueblo of Cochiti. I am teaching language and cultural lessons to Elementary and Adolescent classrooms. I didn’t always live in Cochiti Pueblo. I attended Arizona State University and then lived in Santa Monica, California before moving back to Cochiti Pueblo. I help plan our yearlong Keres language and cultural lessons. I also plan lessons based on cultural events throughout the seasons that follow our traditional calendar. I help the adolescents students with the materials they make for the class and help them learn the Keres language specific to things they are doing such as directions, plants, baseball, and landmarks. The hope is for them to speak more of the language in everyday settings.

Zoey Cordero

My name is Zoey Cordero. I am 13 years old and attend Keres Children’s Learning Center (KCLC). I participate in gymnastics at a level 5. I have been doing gymnastics since I was four years old. I attend KCLC because I learn at my own pace, do projects that interest me, and learn Keres and Cochiti culture. I want to learn more about fieldwork and farming. I also want to have a bee farm and more animals. I am excited to share the Montessori materials I created for our and other KCLC classes.

Colin Jai Quintana

My name is Jai Quintana. I am 12 years old and I am a student at the Keres Children’s Learning Center in Cochiti, NM. What I like about attending KCLC is I get to learn what I want to and at my own pace. I get to make my lunch on Mondays and Fridays with the class. I also get to learn about my culture and my Keres language. I am excited to learn more about how people in Cochiti used to plant. I am excited to present the materials I made for my class that are related to Cochiti culture.

Marshall Suina

My name is Marshall Suina. I am 12 years old and attend the Keres Children’s Learning Center. I like going to KCLC because I learn about my Cochiti culture and my Keres language. I also get to work in the field classroom and take care of the pigs. I want to learn more about farming styles and have a chicken coop. I am looking forward to sharing my work creating Montessori materials for our classroom and other classes that involve Keres language and Cochiti culture.