Here’s who we are and a little insight on what we do in the Toddler classroom.
Mrs. Olivier
Mrs. Olivier was first introduced to Montessori through a position in a Montessori school in New Mexico. She fell in love with Montessori. She then taught in South Korea and met her husband. After taking a year to travel, Mrs. O had the opportunity to work at a Montessori school in South Africa. Now Mrs. O has returned to the area after living abroad for 10 years. She worked as the Toddler teacher for Valley Forge Kinder House for the school year 2020/2021 and has returned this year. Mrs. O’s daughter is in Ms. Tjokoro’s class and she is happy to be back living in Phoenixville!
Mrs. Ortiz
Mrs. Ortiz earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus and worked as an Industrial Engineer for 17 years. She fell profoundly in love with the Montessori education when she discovered Montessori for her own children. Inspired by her daughter’s development, first in the Montessori toddler community and now as an elementary student, she decided to pursue a career in Montessori Education.
Mrs. Ortiz obtained the Three to Six Montessori Orientation certificate from the Association Montessori Internationale and has applied the Montessori principles with her children at home. She recently completed the Six to Twelve AMI Montessori Orientation certificate and previously worked at Guidepost Montessori in Massachusetts as a Toddler Assistant Guide. She is currently pursuing a 3-6 AMI Diploma with Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies training center. In her free time, Mrs. Ortiz enjoys spending time with her family, reading, trying new recipes, and is passionate about Spanish Flamenco dance. She is a native Spanish speaker and lives with her husband, dog, and two children, who are both attending VFKH.
The Toddler Classroom
During the day, the children move through a variety of activities which is called work. They begin their day by being greeted at the door. Then they come in and take off their jackets preceded by hanging up all their belongings. They transition and take off their outside shoes and put on their inside shoes. This exercise helps the children learn independence by being able to take off and put on their own shoes, but also come into the classroom mindset. Once they have their inside shoes on, they are invited to go choose work. We have introduced and provided lessons on work and the children are really connecting to their environment. We also have the ability to allow the children to help prepare snack as an option. It is a big hit and they love being able to help and be independent.
Mrs. O and Mrs. Ortiz are looking forward to a wonderful year!