Meet the Teachers

The certified Montessori teacher in each classroom serves not as the center of attention, but as an observer and facilitator who assesses each child's unique interests and progress. The teacher demonstrates a work, spends one-on-one time with a child to overcome a problem, or leads a small group activity. The teacher directs children to an activity appropriate for their development or redirects children whose actions may be disturbing the other children at work. A teaching assistant also helps maintain harmony in the room and ensures the classroom materials are prepared and correctly ordered each day. The child will also have the opportunity to interact with other teachers, such as those providing enrichment lessons such as foreign language.

Miss Dawn

Dawn Anderson discovered the gift of Montessori education while attending UW-Parkside for traditional elementary teacher certification.  During one of her student teaching experiences, she was completely taken by an enthusiastic, bright six-year-old boy who drove the classroom teacher crazy with his zest for life.  Once Dawn discovered this boy’s amazing passion for learning was a product of his experience at a Montessori preschool, she found she had to learn more.  After spending a semester doing a self-directed field experience at Racine Montessori School she decided to pursue Montessori certification after receiving her bachelor’s degree in Communication.  Initially, she attended MECA (Montessori Education Centers Associated) in Hinsdale, Illinois and received her Early Childhood Credential (AMS 2 ½-6 year olds).  She interned as an assistant at Lake Geneva Montessori 1996-1997 and then taught as a primary directress at Racine Montessori School from 1997-2003.  While watching her daughter grow through Montessori, she again began to be called to serve the older child.  After positive experiences teaching summer school enrichment programs for the elementary students 6-12 years of age, Racine Montessori School offered her a position teaching in the elementary.  Dawn attended MMTTC (Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center) of  Illinois, received her AMS EI (6-9 year olds) and EII (9-12 year olds) credentials, and taught in a lower elementary classroom at Racine Montessori School from 2004 until 2007.  In 2007 she was ready to shorten her commute, work with upper elementary students (including her own daughter) in the most fantastic environment, and begin a new adventure teaching for Nature’s Classroom.  Married since 1993, Dawn spends every spare moment with her husband, two children (both NCM students), and two dogs, enjoying family activities like swimming and biking.

 

Miss Mary Sue

Mary Sue Reutebuch brings over 20 years of Montessori experience to Natures Classroom Montessori School. She has studied Montessori philosophy at both MECA (Montessori Education Centers Associated) in Chicago, and Rhodes College, Memphis Tennessee. In addition to earning an AMS 3-6 teaching certification, Mary Sue holds a B.S. in Family Communications from Ohio University. Utilizing both her Montessori background and Family Communications, she has developed an Effective Parenting program that she has offered to parents and teachers throughout the US and Canada. After spending fifteen years in the classroom in schools throughout Indiana and Ohio and the past eight years both consulting and working as a Montessori Head of School, she returns with joy to the Montessori classroom. Mary Sue is serving as both a Children’s House Teacher and Educational Director for Natures Classroom. Mary Sue also enjoys playing the piano, guitar, and singing Irish Ballads. She loves spending time with her son Jeremy and her husband Tim.

Miss Shella

Shella Schneider brings a strong educational and teaching foundation to Nature's Classroom Montessori. She has a BSE from Northeast Missouri State University Kirksville, MO emphasis in Social Science; and a Master's in Middle Level Education University of Wisconsin-Platteville and is presently interning for Montessori Training for E-1. Her teaching career has encompassed a variety of educational settings. Teaching in a year round school for the first two years for sixth grade, teaching in an open classroom setting for three years for fifth grade, and teaching one and a half years in a traditional junior high setting for sixth and seventh grades completes her contracted teaching experience. In addition she has tutored, substitute taught at all levels, supervised student teachers, taught a variety of summer school classes in both traditional school settings as well as Montessori. Her draw to Montessori was that the philosophy and application is child centered.

Shella enjoys cooking, traveling, scrap booking, and exercising. Her favorite family destination is the Boundary Waters near Ely, Minnesota. She has been married 17 years to Darren and has two sons; Reed and Granton.

Miss Wilma

Wilma Murphy married 13 years ago and moved from México to Wisconsin. She learned English as a second language. Wilma and her husband have 2 children; Jenny is 10 and Tony is 7. She has been tutoring Spanish for the last 3 years and working part time as a substitute teacher in public schools...mostly as a Spanish teacher. In 2005 she started a new experience working at Nature's Classroom, teaching Spanish part time. Currently she is now working full time in the classroom as an assistant and teaching Spanish as well. She really enjoys teaching her culture and language to the children and also takes pleasure in learning new experiences each day.

Miss Dana

Ms. Dana has been working with children ages three to six for over ten years. She has an educational background in theater and musical theater performance. She received her degree from the New School for Social Research in New York City. 

Her exposure to the Montessori method during her undergraduate studies inspired her to enter the teaching profession.  Upon researching the Montessori methodology she fell in love with its child centered and directed philosophy. As a result, Ms. Dana attended the A.M.I. Montessori certification training in Denver, Colorado for three consecutive summers.

Additionally she earned a master’s degree in education from Loyola College in Maryland. During that time she successfully and diligently taught at Milwaukee Montessori School from 2000-2007.

She is very happy to have the opportunity to teach at Nature’s Classroom Montessori. In her spare time she enjoys coaching adults at the Wisconsin Athletic Club in SPIN, YOGA and Pilates.

Miss Deepa

Deepa Shreekumar grew up having a diplomat father which enabled her to experience many different countries and cultures. Just when she felt life was settling down, her husband, Rajesh's job took her to many different countries, as well. They moved to Milwaukee 5 years ago. She has her Master's in Mass Communication and Journalism. Her older son, Advik, now 12, went to a Montessori school and when her youngest son, Ajun who is 5, started Montessori school her fascination with the Montessori way of teaching continued and she decided to pursue the training to be a Montessori teacher.

She enjoys meeting people, cooking and baking, music, and reading. Deepa greatly appreciates a sense of humor and friendship especially when made in lands far away from her own. She admires people who teach by doing rather than by saying (which was one of the things that attracted her to Montessori). And she respects her culture that reminds her of the intangible and the unattainable so that she may be grateful for what she has and what she receives.

Miss Erin

Erin has a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in Environmental Education and Interpretation.   She has spent the last two years at Nature's Classroom working with the environmental education program.  She hopes that she will be able to integrate her knowledge and love of nature into the Montessori classroom.   Erin enjoys cooking, hiking and traveling with her husband, Dave.