Laragene's Class

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About The Teacher Label:


About The Teacher
LARAGENE: I was born in San Diego California, and moved to Arizona in 1973 with my family. My family was in the home building business here for years. I attended Phoenix Country Day School and graduated Arizona State University with a degree in Graphic Design and Fine Arts, a career that I practiced for several years. I have been married for 27 years to Edward Williams, who has spent his life making people feel more secure with his security alarm business, and I am blessed to have a 21 year old son, Schuyler, who is a Brophy graduate, who enjoys making films, solving computer problems and going to college. I am also mother to Dylan, a sweet 12 year old boy who loves indoor rock climbing, legos, and swimming and watching Lucille Ball. Both of my boys thrived at Villa Montessori. Schuyler attended Villa from 4 years old all the way through the Middle School, and Dylan attended his Kindergarten year and now goes to Sierra Academy (a school for children with Special Needs). Many of those years I spent volunteering, and fundraising for Villa, and have made many lifelong friendships. I have had the good fortune over the past 15 years to meet wonderful and committed individuals who have the utmost respect for children and a passion for the Montessori Method. After 4 years assisting in a classroom with a long time Montessorian, I realized that I could spend the rest of my life happily committed to children and their families, and I am honored to call Villa Montessori my home. I received my Montessori 3-6 Training in 2005 in New York with The Center for Montessori Teacher Training, and look forward to continuing my education over the years. I love being a Mother, I am interested in Peace Education, Sustainability, Community building, gardening & learning more about what I can do to protect our planet. I love to draw, paint. and collect quotes. I especially love to dance, and sing, and discover with your children, and there is nothing better than sharing a moment of triumph, or seeing the pure joy of a discovery in their eyes. Maren Minor Hello! My name is Maren Schleypen Minor and I am your child’s outdoor environment (ODE) assistant this school year. I have two children myself at Villa: Jordan is a second-grader in Megan’s class and Maria will be a first grader in Lura's Class this year. in Laragene’s classroom for the next two years. I feel fortunate to be part of the Villa community. To me the educational approach embodies what school should be about: to foster a love of learning. Beyond that I appreciate the sense of community that is ever so present at Villa. We are all in this together: to offer our children the best educational experience possible. As an Outdoor Environment assistant this is something I strive for: to make your children’s experience in the outdoor environment instructional and memorable. My emphasis will be in fostering an understanding and appreciation of the natural world. The children and I will garden together, observing the plant development from seed to full-grown vegetable/fruit. We will take care of our chickens in the chicken coop and observe their behavior. We will stop and marvel at the butterflies and insects and beautiful birds passing through our garden, taking every opportunity to appreciate our natural world and learn more about it. In addition I will also encourage the children to learn more about the larger world we live in, the many different cultures, hoping to foster an understanding and appreciation of our multicultural world. This desire has to do with my personal story: I was born and raised in Northern Germany and have lived in the U.S. for the past ten years. My children are bilingual and we raise them to be familiar with both the U.S.-American and German culture. In today’s global world, I believe, it is important to understand other cultures. Montessori schools are schools of peace and peace starts with an understanding of the other person. I look forward to working with your children this school year. Thank you for entrusting us with their care! Alicia Bello is a Mother to two daughters. She is an experienced teacher of 8 years and we are so fortunate to have her with us. She is a genuinely kind and gentle spirit who sees each child as an individual with unique gifts to bring. Alicia will be assisting inside the classroom, guiding children toward independence, helping to resolve conflicts, and assisting with work. We are so happy to have her with us.

Mission Label:


Mission
We hope all of your children will share a diverse and joyful community in an environment that fosters independence, competence, a love of learning and a respect for each other and the world aroundthem. We hope that your children will leave our classroom to plant seeds of joy, compassion, peace, and integrity, along their path and that they will see greatness in themselves and others.