Head of School and Middle School Program Director/Teacher

Alissa holds a B.A. in German Studies and an M.Ed in Montessori Education from Endicott College. She is credentialed through the American Montessori Society (AMS) for Secondary I & II (ages 12 – 18), regularly presenting at the AMS national conference on Montessori philosophy and the adolescent. She serves on the Board of Directors for a Montessori high school. She is a secondary teacher trainer for the Houston Montessori Center’s satellite program in California.

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In 2009 Alissa came to MFS to launch the middle school and since then has developed this into a model Montessori classroom which other Montessori middle schools nationwide often look to and study for direction. 

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Alissa is now extremely excited about guiding MFS to fulfill its potential as one of the preeminent Montessori schools in the country.

Cultural Studies and Buckeye Assistant Teacher

I was born and raised in Austin, Texas. I have always been curious about the world and love to explore as often as possible. Before landing in San Francisco, I spent a couple of wonderful years at an Art school called the Instituto De Allende located in the lovely city of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. My passion at the time was metal work and it was a magical time in my life. From an early age, I knew that I wanted to work with children. I believe in a compassionate and respectful education and the Montessori approach resonates with me to my core. When my daughter Bella Rose was a little over a year old, I began the Montessori Early Childhood Credential Program at Saint Mary’s College of California. After completing my internship at a school in Oakland, I found Montessori Family School. I am so proud to be a part of this amazing community. I am thrilled to be working in the Cultural room at the Early Childhood campus in Berkeley this year. A perfect match. It is my goal to create an environment that allows children to gain a deeper understanding of the world and the interconnectedness of everything in it. When I am not working I love spending time with friends and family in nature.

Lower Elementary Head Teacher

I am originally from Santa Cruz, CA, and I graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Anthropology, Archaeology emphasis, in 2007. I worked as an archaeological technician on various university projects in Peru and Colombia. More recently, I was an assistant teacher in a Montessori primary school in Park City, Utah, and a teacher for an after-school program in Santa Cruz. I also enjoyed my time in Utah as an apprentice to an herbalist. I enjoy botany, especially the study of medicinal plants, hiking, going to Farmer’s Markets, vegetarian cooking, and I am an avid reader.  I received my Elementary I teaching certification through the  Montessori Teacher Education Center San Francisco Bay in June 2015.  It is a joy to guide children to their fullest potential, and I am constantly amazed by the gifts and talents that all young learners possess. The Montessori  classroom provides that essential prepared environment for the important inner work of the child to be nurtured and brought forth. In order for there to be peace on a global scale, gratitude and compassion for others must be realized on an individual level. It is the aim of my work at MFS to help foster a community of peace and a sense of purpose for each child as they grow to adulthood.

Aspen Head Teacher

Antho graduated with a B.A. in Statistics from the University of California at Berkeley. He holds two credentials from the American Montessori Society, Early Childhood (ages 3-6) and Lower Elementary (ages 6-9).

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“I love our work. It is such a privilege to be part of a child’s life and witness their development. I would describe my teaching style as authentically Montessori. From a child’s first day in our classroom until their last, I strive to give them quality opportunities to develop confidence, competence, responsibility and joy. As we say–every child, every chance, every day.”

After School Head Teacher (Berkeley)

I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking and Illustration at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Following my graduation, I moved to the East Bay and began working as an art teacher at a studio located in Marin. It was there that I discovered my passion for children and education. For the following three years I continued doing the two things I truly love — teaching kids and making art — until I realized that I wanted to become more involved in the broader education of the preschoolers I worked with. Helping to blossom the knowledge, curiosity, and joy within my students is my source of motivation. I am truly excited for the opportunity to be part of the Montessori Family School, and I am just beginning to start my Montessori Preprimary Credential. In my free time, I enjoy making comics and painting, lots of reading, and playing around on my baritone ukulele.

Communications and Site Administrator

Some of my earliest childhood memories are from the Montessori preschool that I attended, where I remember discovering the infinite possibilities of Legos and loving my gifted teachers. My first opportunity to work with children came as a 10-year-old, assisting my dance instructor in Sonoma County. Learning how to communicate my love for movement, modern dance, and ballet to 3-year-old boys and girls was the first of many steps on a continuing path in youth education. I received my BA in Linguistics at UC Berkeley, taking a particular interest in sociolinguistics and language acquisition. After graduating, a job prospect led me to New York City, where I worked for two years at a not-for-profit organization teaching health and mental resilience in an urban public high school. The challenges I encountered in the NYC education system only reinforced my desire to work with a more independent school of thought, one that understood social and emotional growth as something intrinsic to academic capability, not incidental to it. After moving back to the Bay Area I was thrilled to be offered a job in the office at Montessori Family School. It inspires me to see children mentoring each other, learning to make good choices within supportive boundaries, moving freely but with purpose around their classroom, and expressing creativity through their academic work. In my free time I continue to take dance classes, drive out to the coast, read, and drink plenty of coffee and tea.

Upper Elementary Teacher

I was born in Laguna Beach, California and spent most of my childhood and adolescence in nearby Orange County. There I attended the UC Irvine Farm Elementary School, a lab school established by UCI’s School of Education. At the Farm School I learned to value intellectual enthusiasm and the thrill of making connections and pursuing curiosities in an environment that encouraged independent discovery. These principles have remained deeply important to me all my life, and are what has drawn me to Montessori Family School.I graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a BA in Modern Literature, and am currently enrolled in the Montessori Teacher Education Center San Francisco Bay Area. I am thrilled to be joining the Lower Elementary classroom, and look forward to a extraordinary school year. When I am not in school, I enjoy trail-running, gardening, drawing, metalwork, chess, and the study of language.

Upper Elementary Teacher

I am excited to spend my tenth year of teaching at MFS! I came to MFS last year after several years managing programs and building affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley. I began teaching in Chicago with a liberal arts education from Grinnell College and received my Montessori credential in 2004 from the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in New York. Teaching always inspires me to learn new things, and in my seven years teaching Upper Elementary in Chicago, among other things, I learned to play the guitar and djembe, learned a ton about how to inspire a love of learning in all kinds of people, and finally understood how the moon can be revolving but always facing the same side toward the earth. This year, I am particularly excited to ensure our world history curriculum highlights social justice and underrepresented views, have loads of fun with the Montessori math materials, and find new strategies for teaching social-emotional development to support our students growth as whole people.I live in a consensus-based co-housing community in North Oakland with my husband, Ned, and three year-old daughter, Zinnia, and we do a lot of hiking, singing, and bubble-blowing.

Oak Room Head Teacher and Spanish Teacher

I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with your children in the Oak Room. I have always loved to be around children, but did not find my calling right away. In college, I trained to be a CPA but soon after graduating realized that this would not be a satisfying career. Having always had a love of children and interest in more humanistic pursuits, I was soon introduced to the Montessori Philosophy and subsequently went through the training. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to learn from both Dr. Silvia Duvoboy and Dr. Silvana Montanaro in San Diego. During my training with these amazing educators, I fell in love with Montessori’s ability to nourish the needs of children. I have taken the AMI certification for both the infant and primary children, but after many years in the classroom I have found that my favorite children to work with are the younger ones. I am very excited to meet the children and work with them in the coming year.

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On the personal side, I was born and raised in Mexico and have lived in the United States for the last twenty years. Living and working in Charlottesville, Washington DC, Chicago and San Diego before finally settling into the SF Bay Area about 10 years ago. I currently live in Berkeley with my husband, two children and a cat named Monkey. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, reading and learning.

Spanish Teacher (El Cerrito) and After School Director

I was born and raised in the Bay Area, moving from San Francisco to the East Bay. As a child, I received a dual-immersion education and public school education. In my free time I love to spend time with family and friends, watch movies or get lost in a new book. I love to travel when I get the chance and for the past 5 years I have been living part time between Mexico City and the Bay Area. I have experience working in the education field as various different roles, such as a camp counselor, literacy tutor, and after school program assistant teacher, to name a few. I received my B.A. from UC Berkeley with a major in Spanish Language and Literature and a minor in Education. Some of my favorite authors include Julio Cortázar, Haruki Murakami, Paulo Coelho, and Miguel de Cervantes. During my time at UC Berkeley, I spent a semester abroad at La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Though I am new to this alternative learning institution, my philosophy towards education is one that greatly parallels with that of the Montessori school education. I believe that children should have the opportunity to explore and nurture their natural curiosity to learn while developing independence and an identity that transcends the boundaries of the school through a peaceful, respectful and collaborative environment.

After School Assistant Teacher (Berkeley)

Originally from Southern California, I relocated to East Bay with my husband and two dogs in 2015. I hold a Site Supervisor permit in Early Childhood Education and over 30 units in related coursework. I have a BA in World Religions and also spent several years studying Fine Art with a master artist near San Diego. I first became interested in education when I worked for a summer at a camp in the San Bernardino mountains where we hiked, made art, sang and danced. The experience was truly moving and inspired me to enter the field of education. When I moved to the East Bay I began substitute teaching for a number of different preschools, one of which was MFS in Berkeley. I instantly fell in love with philosophy and the warm and welcoming space. I soon quit my sub positions at other schools to sub primarily for MFS. When the after school position opened up, I leapt at the opportunity. I am looking forward to working with Carly in the after school program where we will create a welcoming and creative space!

Buckeye Head Teacher

I have been involved in Montessori programs for over twenty-five years. I have experienced Montessori as a parent, a teacher, and more recently as a grandparent. My son Damon attended Montessori schools from preschool through elementary and currently runs a toddler program here in the Bay Area. My granddaughter Anja attended preschool at MFS and is now beginning as a 4th year in Upper Elementary. My second granddaughter, Dylan, is looking forward to entering preschool at MFS next fall. I have a degree in Human Development/Early Childhood Education from CSU and a 3-6 Montessori certification. My husband Elliott and I live in Albany and spend our summers in Homer, Alaska.

Upper Elementary Teacher

I have been involved with MFS since 1986, when I enrolled my daughter in the Lower Elementary class as a first-year student. I volunteered as a ‘Reading Group’ parent for a few years and became more involved with the school, serving spaghetti at fundraisers and scrubbing walls during work parties. When a position as an assistant teacher opened up in the Lower Elementary II classroom I took the 6-9 training at MTEC in San Leandro. I worked in the Lower Elementary classroom for many years. When the Elementary Program moved from the Berkeley Campus to our Kensington Campus I took the 9-12 Montessori training and joined the Upper Elementary class. My daughter graduated from MFS after her 6th year and went on to Head Royce. I continue to work at MFS because I believe that Montessori provides the best opportunity for individual students to reach their potential and to thrive, both as students and as members of the broader society. I feel that the respect for students’ unique strengths that is built into Montessori education with materials designed for a wide range of learning styles, the opportunities for independence and responsibility, and the emphasis on peace education, communication skills, conflict resolution, and service learning provide the best possible foundation for children. What I love about MFS in particular, aside from the deep satisfaction of doing good work, is the opportunity to work with like-minded, hardworking teachers in an environment that fosters creative problem-solving and cooperation. I am the seventh of eight children, and grew up on Long Island. When I’m not teaching I love spending time with my family, including my grandson, an MFS student, and my large New York tribe. I love to read, dance, Jazz, cooking, gardening, art and museums. I also enjoy visiting other countries whenever I have the opportunity.

Elementary/Middle School Music Teacher

Music has been my life from the very beginning. Born to hippies outside of Cincinnati, I built my first drum set at age five from a collection of Tupperware bowls and pan lids. At 12, I joined the school jazz band, played my first gig at 14, and started teaching fellow students two years later. I attended Indiana University on a Jazz Studies scholarship, and while in school, took my first teaching job at a local music store. In 1996 I left Indiana to travel the world by sailing ship, performing jazz and cabaret music in much of Asia and the South Pacific, Alaska, the Caribbean, and South America. I made landfall a year later in Chicago where I began my study of North Indian classical music and became immersed in the rich funk, soul and jazz traditions that still survive there. Following my sixth extra-long Chicago-style winter, the warm air and creative spirit of California blew in, and in 2004, I packed up and left for the West Coast. Teaching children has always come naturally to me and I have had many young drum set students over the years, but I never expected to fall so head over heals for the kids at Montessori Family School. In 2007, I was asked to take over the music program and to get training in the Orff Shulwerk music approach. Four summers and an apprenticeship later, I can say without hesitation that Orff Shulwerk has influenced my understanding of what it means to make and teach music more than all of my other training combined. In my mind it is the Montessori approach, coded for music education. I make my home in Alameda where I continue to teach privately. I work with around 30 drum set students each week, and teach a dozen classes (preschool through middle) at three different schools including Montessori Family School. I also perform regularly throughout the Bay area with several different projects. I continue to learn about music and myself through the children at MFS, and I am so proud of what we have accomplished together over the years.

Learning Specialist

After completing a BA degree in Educational Philosophy and earning my Montessori Credential in Ithaca, N.Y., I have taught in schools in Dallas, Tx. and Denver, Co.  I joined the Montessori Family School in 1990 with deep delight to have found a good school for my children and myself. After teaching for many years and raising my son and daughter, I pursued a Masters Degree in Education including a new credential in Educational Therapy.  Dr. Montessori’s pedagogical insights, as well as neuro-psychological brilliance, shine ever more brightly for me as I pursue my studies and strive to expand my awareness. The Montessori materials are the “constants” and the children the amazing “variables” I have the honor of observing, learning from and lovingly supporting.  When not in the classroom, I’m enriched by working as an educational therapist; this offers me the one-with-one time necessary to support children with “trickier” processing issues. I now enjoy combining my various skills in all settings. After 33+ years of working with 3-6 year olds my sense of marvel, joy and good fortune at working in a Montessori environment deepens week-by-week. I enjoy working at MFS because the teachers are truly respected and supported. I love hiking, cherish time with my family, singing along with anything, great conversations with friends, and taking my time to listen and re-listen to audio guides in Art museums.

Business Manager

Coming soon.

Aspen Assistant Teacher

I immigrated to Chicago from Kiev, Ukraine shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union. As a young teenager I had to adapt to a culture and a language very different from my own, which fostered my interest in cultural observation and analysis. I received a B.A. in Anthropology from Loyola University Chicago and in 2000 went to Mali, West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. There, I spent three years working with artisans and learning as much as I could about the different cultures and languages of that region. I fell in love with that part of the world and continued to return there over the next several years to conduct research as a graduate student. In 2009, I received an M.A. in Anthropology with a concentration on West Africa from American University in Washington, DC. My experiences of living and working in Mali and other parts of West Africa continue to remind me that we are citizens of an incredibly diverse world, and of our collective responsibility to celebrate those differences while looking for common ground with one another. When my older son entered a public Montessori elementary school in Durham, NC, I saw first-hand how my own convictions about global citizenship and social responsibility could be reflected in an approach to education that placed great value on developing such ideas. I also saw how children can thrive under the care of educators who view learning as a two-way process between students and teachers, and who foster an approach based on following student interests in a nurturing and a constructive environment. As a result, I developed a passion for the Montessori philosophy and decided to become a Montessori teacher myself. I am beginning the work of Montessori training through the Montessori Teacher Education Center, San Francisco Bay Area. I feel very honored to have been accepted into the Montessori Family School community.

Early Childhood Campus Site Director

I graduated with a bachelors in Arts and Letters from Portland State University in 2005, with focused study in philosophy, music, photography and literature. I hold a California state early childhood director certificate and have also completed the Early Childhood Montessori curriculum and philosophy classes at the Montessori Teacher Education Center of San Francisco. I have 18 years experience in professional office environments and administration, and 20 years experience working with children in different capacities such as camp counselor, nanny, youth bandleader and 4-H horse camp instructor. In my spare time I like to write songs, sing, cook, garden and create three-dimensional art.

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Working with the amazing teachers at MFS is extremely rewarding and utilizes my range of skills and experience. I have always enjoyed teaching and it has been a part of my life through many different avenues. As a creative person it feels wonderful to be around other creative teachers and artists and to be able to add to the rich environment our children are fortunate to learn in. I am dedicated to helping MFS continue to share this quality of Montessori education to early childhood families of the Bay Area.

Kindergarten Transition Head Teacher

I worked at school when I was in college at CSU San Bernardino. One of my co-workers had two of the most inquisitive, polite, intelligent children I had ever met. When I enquired, she told me her children attended a Montessori school. I was just finishing a degree in Communication, but I was very intrigued by this “Montessori” thing. I moved to the Bay Area in 1992, and met my future husband. Coincidentally, he lived with his sister and nephew at the time and his nephew also attended a Montessori school. At this point, I realized the universe was trying to tell me something. I started substitute teaching at my nephew’s school and decided to take the training at the Montessori Teacher Education Center, San Francisco Bay Area. The Montessori Philosophy makes so much sense to me because it is such a logical and humane approach to teaching children. Jane Wechsler, our Founding Head of School was one of my instructors, and I began working at MFS the following school year. When it came time for my son to start school, there was never any doubt in my mind that he would attend any school other than MFS. Both my son and daughter are now graduates of our middle school program. My daughter attends Oakland School for the Arts and my son has just started his first year at UC Berkeley. My daughter is maintaining a 4.0 GPA, as did my son while in high school. But more importantly, they are both motivated students with an amazing sense of social justice and self-awareness. I have been affiliated with MFS for over 25 years, as a parent, a Board member, and fundraiser and a teacher. As a parent, I believe MFS to have some of the most dedicated and caring teachers you would ever want to mentor your children. There is an intangible quality . These are the same reasons I enjoy working here, and consider it an honor to be part of this incredibly dedicated team of educators and administrators. When I am not teaching, I enjoy traveling with my family and singing with a band made up of several other MFS moms! I so enjoy the community this school has offered; it truly is a “family” school for me.

Kindergarten Transition Assistant Teacher

The MFS philosophy of teaching for peace is a good fit with my own personality and beliefs. Now that I’ve joined the team, I am excited to contribute to the school’s positive atmosphere.  I graduated from college in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in art teaching from the College of Nyíregyháza, which is a college in my native Hungary. I moved to the Bay Area shortly thereafter and have been working in early education ever since. In those five years I have worked with children ranging from ages 2 to 12. This wide range has helped me appreciate how the social and emotional needs of children change over time; and how I can best support those needs as a teacher.  I had always been interested in teaching in such a way that allows children the liberty to choose and act freely within a supportive environment so when I first stepped into a Montessori classroom I instantly felt at home. I am currently working on my 3-6 Early Childhood training at the Montessori Teacher Education Center of the San Francisco Bay Area in San Leandro and I cannot wait to put my newly acquired knowledge to work in the Kindergarten Transition classroom.  I like to spend my free time doing Bikram yoga, going on nature walks and traveling with my husband. I love everything related to art, from painting and drawing to dancing and singing.