Montessori Careers

Montessori teachers in New Zealand explain how they discovered Montessori, how they began their Montessori journey and where it has taken them.

Jennifer Smyth shares why she travelled to China to do her Montessori qualification

I had found my experiences in state early childhood and primary frustrating as it always seemed to be ‘busy work’ or playing.

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Montessori career jennifer myth

Jessica Finau-Baas shares why she is aiming to make Montessori accessible to children of Pacific Island heritage

I met a Persian Bahá’í lady when I was a young teenager living in Tonga with my Tongan mother and New Zealand father. She was an owner/teacher of a Montessori preschool in Samoa. This was when I first became aware of Montessori principles and practices.

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Montessori career Jessica Uttley

Janet du Fall explains why she has been involved in Montessori for 22 years

I first discovered Montessori as a young mother in the late 1980s when I visited an early childhood expo in Auckland. Several Montessori preschools had a display of photos and information about the Montessori method. I was captivated, and it just felt so right. I started to find out more about Montessori.

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Montessoir career Janet du Fall

Tania Gaffney is a Montessori 6-12 teacher and loves those ‘aha moments’

I first learned about Montessori when my sister’s children started going to Montessori about 22 years ago. However, it was some years later that I started working in Montessori. I started with 3-6 children, but now I have been teaching 6-9-year-olds for several years.

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Montessori career tania gaffney

Gillian Somers shares why there is always a reason to smile as a Montessori teacher

I come from Ireland, where there are many small Montessori schools. As a teenager babysat the children of a Montessori teacher, and she told me about Montessori.

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Montessori career gillian somers

Marissa Sherkenny was a Montessori child who became a Montessori teacher

I was a child at a Montessori children’s house until I was seven years old. I did not realize that, however until I was an adult and began to look into Montessori as a career. I pursued outdoor education/experiential education as an undergraduate and wanted to know more. I researched Montessori and discovered that it was a perfect match for me and my understanding of hands-on learning.

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Montessori career Marissa Sherkenny

Judelyn Raeburn shares how she discovered that Montessori was more than a philosophy; it was a way of life

I was raised in a large family in the Philippines with three brothers and five other sisters. Having a big family was not too hard for my mother as she trained us from a young age to be orderly, confident, and independent. If she did not do this, perhaps raising nine children would be much more difficult, not to mention just a little chaotic.

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Montessoriu career Judelyn Raeburn