At Ava Wanas we surround our students with warm, loving, and emotionally caring teachers. Montessori herself placed an emphasis on the moral standing of a teacher rather than solely focusing on her educational background. In her wisdom she advised that "the training of the teacher who is to help life is something far more
than the learning of ideas. It includes the training of character; it is a
preparation of the spirit."
Each of our two classrooms is directed by a Montessori trained teacher who holds a Bachelor's degree and an Early Childhood Montessori Teacher's Certificate. On a yearly basis, all of our staff members have continued education in areas that pertain to child development. Teachers are also trained in CPR and First Aid, and 90-Hour Childcare Certification for Preschool and School-Aged Children, keeping in line with the requirements of the Office of Child Care.
Our main goal when training our teachers is to nurture the core belief that "it is necessary for the teacher to guide the child without letting him feel her
presence too much, so that she may always be ready to supply the desired help,
but may never be the obstacle between the child and his experience." Together we are always learning how to be better teachers and human beings from our students.
Ms. Marie
founder of Ava Wanas and Montessori
Directress
Ms. Marie grew up in Cairo, Egypt
with two loving parents and a brother. She was a very active and athletic child.
She was also bright and mischievous in school. From the ages of six to
eighteen she was a Girl Scout. Some of her fondest memories are from camping
trips she took with the girls. Her favorite things to do at home are cooking
for her family, dancing, and reading. She attended the American University of
Cairo and received her Bachelor's and Master's in Economics. Shortly after, she
and her husband moved to America and had a son. They sent him to a Montessori
school where Ms. Marie was offered a job as an assistant teacher and discovered
her passion for helping children learn about the world we live in. She pursued
Montessori training in Early Childhood at NAMTA. In 2004 she decided to focus
her energy on opening a school that offered a respectful environment for the
child and remained affordable for working parents. In 2007 she accomplished her
dream and opened Ava Wanas Montessori, a school that provides a compassionate,
loving, and family-like atmosphere for its students. Ms. Marie's goals for the
future include expanding the school and helping her two sons achieve happiness
in their personal goals. *Ms. Marie is awaiting her own childhood picture from Egypt... for now, she says her boys have an uncanny resemblance to her.
Ms. Melodie
Montessori Directress
Ms. Melodie was the eldest child in
her family and had two brothers. One of the things she feels is special about
her childhood is that she has maintained close relationships with many of the
children she was friends with growing up. Most of her close friends are people
she went to preschool and elementary school with. She married her high school
sweetheart, Tim, and eventually became a very proud mom to Korinna - 18, Elena
- 16 and Donovan - 13, all of whom are Montessori kids! In 1991 she received a
Bachelor of Arts from UMBC. She worked in her children's Montessori school and
eventually became the director after getting her Montessori Administrator
Credential from AMS. She then got her Montessori Early Childhood
Teaching Credential while continuing as Director. After her
children's school closed in 2011, she was thrilled to get a fateful call from her training center about a teaching position
at Ava Wanas Montessori. In her own words, "over the past year I have come
to love Ava Wanas for many reasons - the respect for the Montessori philosophy,
the abundance of outdoor activities, the openness to new ideas &
approaches, etc., etc., but ultimately my favorite part is the kids,
every single one of them with their beautifully unique (& sometimes
challenging) personalities, perspectives & ideas!" At home, Ms. Melodie
enjoys yoga, photography, reading, and gardening.
Ms. McKenzie
Administration
When she was a child, Ms. McKenzie's
parents owned a gourmet deli and coffee shop in Columbia, and she grew up doing
Montessori-like "works" like sorting coffee beans and building
towers from boxes of pasta and jars of jam. She has a younger sister and brother. Ms. McKenzie lives with her husband Jamie on a small farm in
Finksburg. They raise sheep, alpacas, honeybees, chickens, and grow and
preserve many of their own vegetables. She discovered a love for Montessori
philosophy after reading the book, The Child in the Family. When she
moved to the Sykesville area she decided to take a chance and see if Ava Wanas
needed any assistant teachers. Luck would have it that Ms. Marie needed an
administrative assistant for her growing school. Ms. McKenzie now organizes the
school's parties, plans the summer camp, and does just a little bit of everything
else. At home, she enjoys taking photographs and writing about
farm-life, creating watercolor illustrations, spinning yarn, and spending time outdoors in the
garden. In the future she would like to expand her farm, illustrate a
children's book, and have lots of chubby babies. She toys around with the
notion of becoming a midwife after her own children are grown.
Ms. Laura
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Laura grew up in a tight-knit
family and has four sisters whom she speaks to on a daily basis. Her parents
raised her to have an understanding of the importance of family. "I feel I
have raised my children the same way... we are always laughing and
having fun," she says. She and her husband were neighbors growing up and
they married young and have several beautiful children together. He was
in the Military for most of their marriage and their family has lived in many different countries including
Germany and South Korea. They have learned to count on each other
for everything because of it. During that time she worked as an aide
in classrooms for preschool aged and special needs children. When her family
moved to Maryland, she found Ava Wanas and started working here as a cook and
playground assistant. In the fall of 2012 she began a position as a classroom
teacher's assistant. She enjoys working with the other teachers and laughing at
the silly stories the children tell her on a daily basis. Her favorite things
to do are watching her children play sports and relaxing at home with her
family. Her goals are to make sure her kids and grandson have a great future.
She wants to see them happy and successful.
Ms. Nicole
Substitute Assistant Teacher
Ms. Nicole is Ms. Laura's daughter
and found Ava Wanas after she started working here. She started as an assistant
teacher but left to have more time to pursue her education. She is mom to
Gabriel, a student in Ms. Melodie's class. She grew up as a self professed
"army brat," a term her friends on the Military base coined to
describe a child who grows up moving around to different duty stations. She
says, "I always loved making new friends and sharing/learning about
different cultures. Ava Wanas makes sure the children celebrate all cultures
and history." She is the oldest child in her family and has two sisters
and one brother. In her free time, she enjoys playing slow and fast-pitch
softball, baking, and reading. Ms. Nicole considers her role as a single mother
her first and foremost goal as a human being. She wants to raise Gabriel to be
"a well rounded person that will be able to live and positive and
productive life. He continues to amaze me at how much he learns everyday!
That's why we've kept him with this school because it aligns with my goal as a
mother perfectly. A fun goal that she's set for herself is to learn to speak
Spanish!
Ms. Kristen
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Kristen has lived with her large
family in the same house in Eldersburg for twenty years. She has one brother
and three sisters who she's all very close with. They have a dog named Brady
that she's very fond of. Ms. Kristen graduated from York College of
Pennsylvania with her Bachelor of Science in 2012. She majored in Recreation
and Leisure and spent one summer planning camp programs for children at a
resort. She also taught swimming and horseback riding lessons to children while
she was in school. In her free time she likes playing tennis, going on hikes in
the woods, and baking. She enjoys working at Ava Wanas and is amazed at how
self-sufficient and creative each child is. Her goals for the future are to
continue working with children and she dreams of living in the beautiful state
of Colorado someday.
Ms. Danna
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Danna lives here in Eldersburg with her two daughters, 12 year old Ripley and 11 year old Emerson. Most of her family lives out of state. Her mom and one sister are in Colorado, another sister lives in Tennessee, and yet another sister lives in Delaware. She has a background in fashion. "I am the person who makes the mannequins and window displays come to life. I love art, politics." She has many animals at home- Elway- a 200lb Great Dane, Butters- a young Golden Retriever, Nasini- a Ball Python, Mia- a 12 year old Gecko, Fluffy- a Rose Hair Tarantula, a sweet cat, and many "critters" that her daughters find outside. They always have insects like caterpillars in the house, undergoing transformation from chrysalis to moth. Above all, Ms. Danna loves watching little people learn and explore the natural world around them.
Ms. Elena
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Elena lives in downtown Sykesville with her three children between the ages of 9 and 13. When she's not spending time here with our students, caring for horses at a local farm, and working with elderly patients at Fairhaven nursing home, she likes to take her own children to the creek along lower Main Street and catch trout. They have one naughty dog named Cookie, two cats, and a fish. She went to school in Massachusetts and earned her degree in Psychology. She's only one credit away from having her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and would someday like to buy a house with enough land for a horse and motorcycle or ATV for her son. She grew up in New York on a horse ranch with her four siblings. As a result, Ms. Elena has a lot of patience and is always trying to help our students find peaceful solutions to challenging situations. Now that her own children are getting older, she finds working with preschoolers a heartwarming addition to her days.
Ms. Joy
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Elena lives in downtown Sykesville with her three children between the ages of 9 and 13. When she's not spending time here with our students, caring for horses at a local farm, and working with elderly patients at Fairhaven nursing home, she likes to take her own children to the creek along lower Main Street and catch trout. They have one naughty dog named Cookie, two cats, and a fish. She went to school in Massachusetts and earned her degree in Psychology. She's only one credit away from having her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and would someday like to buy a house with enough land for a horse and motorcycle or ATV for her son. She grew up in New York on a horse ranch with her four siblings. As a result, Ms. Elena has a lot of patience and is always trying to help our students find peaceful solutions to challenging situations. Now that her own children are getting older, she finds working with preschoolers a heartwarming addition to her days.
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Joy started babysitting Ms. Marie's little boys in 2008 and shortly after started working at Ava Wanas. Several years later she moved to Virginia for a change of scenery, but found herself back in Eldersburg in early 2013. Always welcome at the school, she was given a position as an afternoon assistant teacher. She says she loves working here because "it truly respects the minds of the children, but in a structured way." She's also a kid at heart and keeps all of the pictures our students have drawn her over the years. She treasures the hilarious things they say and do, since they give her a break from the "boring adult" daily grind. Outside of school she is a blues fan and a political junkie. She's proud to have had the opportunity to speak with two US presidents over the past year! Ms. Joy also loves to travel. She's been throughout Europe and South America and would love to visit again. She has two siblings and two sweet nieces. A few silly facts about her own childhood: she was chosen to get "slimed" on Nickelodeon, was in a club that built a mini roller coaster, and ate sticks of butter from the fridge! These days she is studying to get her business degree and eventually plans on working in that field until she's about 40 years old. After that, she dreams of pursuing law, running for office, and adopting a few children. Her dream for retirement is to start a non-profit organization that benefits children "if the universe lets all go to plan." We're happy that Ms. Joy has big dreams!
Ms. Susan
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Susan, more commonly known as Ms. Suzie, lives in Finksburg with her husband and two daughters. One of her girls is in high school while the other just started college. She has a long history of working around children and loves watching them learn and laugh. She met her best friend Sandy at preschool when she was a little girl herself. She has fond memories of her childhood and is still very close with her three brothers and one sister. As an adult, she simply loves spending time with her family, reading, and walking their dogs. Her most important goal for the future is to make sure her children reach their full potential in school and to be there for them if they ever need guidance. She spent several years working at Sprouts Childcare where she was responsible for maintaining smooth transitions for the children and parents. That is evident in the way she works with our students; she has a very motherly way with the kids, and is able to be firm yet gentle in challenging situations. It's rare to find a teacher so dedicated to the well-being of children, and we're happy that she's part of our amazing team here at Ava Wanas.
