FACULTY AND STAFF

The role of a Montessori teacher is one of guide and observer, whose ultimate goal is to intervene less and less as the child develops. The teacher builds an atmosphere of calm, order, and joy in the classroom and encourages the children in all their efforts, thus promoting self-confidence and discipline. The teacher gives individual and small group instructions amidst the working and social atmosphere in the classroom. Understanding when to observe and when to intervene is a skill the Montessori teacher develops after receiving rigorous and specialized training from AMI training centers in the United States or abroad. A college degree is required in order to pursue an AMI teaching certificate.

All members of the Crabapple Montessori School Primary faculty are AMI (Association Montessori International) certified, very qualified, and experienced with good teaching record. Many parents have enrolled their children at Crabapple Montessori School because they know these teachers, have confidence in their abilities, and are very satisfied with the progress their children have made in their classrooms.

The faculty consists of the following teachers:

Education Director

Tutty Feliciano:  Tutty has the responsibility to mentor the staff and to work closely with the teachers to develop and maintain the best practices in classroom teaching and management.  Tutty is a graduate from Centenary College, NJ and is an AMI certified Primary teacher. Tutty has taught in a prestigious Montessori school in Metropolitan Atlanta for over 30 years.  Tutty is well known and highly respected in the Atlanta Montessori community.  She has two children and a grandson.  Tutty lives in Marietta, GA.

Primary Teachers

Brooks Gerber:  Brooks is a Lead Primary teacher for the All-Day class.  She has a Bachelors degree from Sarah Lawrence College, with a concentration in Child Development.  Brooks holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta and a Masters in Montessori Education from Loyola College in Maryland.  She has over 4 years of experience working with children in a Montessori environment.  She has worked at schools in Nashville, TN and Oakland, CA.  In this role, Brooks was responsible for assisting the lead teacher in maintaining and executing a Montessori environment in a Primary classroom.  She has one year experience as a Lead teacher at Crabapple Montessori School. 

Christine Thompson:  Christine is a Lead Primary teacher.  She has been with Crabapple Montessori School for two years.  She has also worked for two years working with children in a childcare environment.   Christine holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta and a Masters in Montessori Education from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD.  She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance and a minor in Psychology from Wesleyan College.  Additionally, Christine is a certified Kindermusik educator.  She lives with her husband in Cumming.

Claire Paglia:  Claire is a Lead Primary teacher.  She holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta and a Masters in Montessori Education from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD.  She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Elon University in North Carolina.  In addition to having AMI Montessori training for the Primary program, Claire is also a certified Elementary School teacher.  She has been involved with teaching students at the elementary level for over 3 years.  Claire is in a very unique position in that she has first-hand knowledge of both the Montessori Primary and traditional Elementary education curriculums.  Additionally, Claire has had extensive experience as a "nature specialist" in the summer camps at a private school in Atlanta. 

Prasadi Jayagoda: Prasadi is a Lead Primary teacher.  She earned an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta in 1998.  She has been a Lead Primary teacher with Crabapple Montessori School for four years in the past and returns to the school in 2009.  Prasadi holds a Bachelor of Science from Sir Lanka.  Prasadi is a mother of two young children who attend Crabapple Crossing Elementary school.

Toddler Teachers

Ashraf Meherally: Ashraf Meherally is a Lead Teacher in the Toddler classroom.  Ashraf has Toddler Diploma and has experience assisting in Toddler classes.   Ashraf is a mother of two children.  Both of them have attended Montessori programs until the fifth grade.  She understands the needs of parents of Montessori children very well.

Suheir Ibrahim:  Suheir is a Lead Teacher in a Toddler classroom.  She is a trained ITS Paraprofessional and holds a Toddler Montessori Diploma from Atlanta Montessori Teachers Education.  She has several years of experience working with children and has been very active in community organizations. Suheir is the mother of four children and is fluent in Spanish and Arabic.

 

The faculty also includes the following Teachers' Assistants:

Anita Desai:  Anita has studied Medical Transcription and Business Administration at the Hammersmith and West London College in England.  She completed a Child Substitute Teacher Program with the Georgia Early Learning Initiative and the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta in 2003.  She has volunteered at the North River Baptist Church pre-school and has volunteered extensively at Sweet Apple Elementary School.  She is a Teacher Assistant in Claire’s class.  Anita is a mother of two young children.

 

Doris Pereira: Doris assists Ashraf in the Toddlers class.  She has a Masters in Family and Clinical Psychology from Colombia.  Before moving to the US, Doris was a Human Resource Director in a telecommunications company.  She is settled in Alpharetta, Georgia since 2002 with her husband and three young children.

 

 

Elizabeth Puerta:  Elizabeth co-manages the afternoon program for younger Primary children.  She has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and an Associate degree in Applied Science-Business Administration both from Venezuela.  She is an experienced Berlitz Language Instructor and is fluent in English and Spanish. She has worked with children as a private language instructor for several years. In addition, Elizabeth has had a great deal of experience in the business sector. She and her husband reside in Alpharetta.

Kimberly Evanson:  Kimberly is a Teacher Assistant in Christine’s class in the morning and Suheir's class in the afternoon.  She has worked as a Teacher Assistant in two other Montessori schools.  Kimberly also has experience in the business sector.  She is originally from Montana and now lives in the Duluth area with her husband and two children.

 

 

Maria Idalia Garcia:  Maria Idalia is a graduate in Accounting.  She has been a Sunday school teacher for several years.  Maria is a mother of four children.  She assists Suheir in the Toddler class in the morning.

 

 

Nora Gilbert: Nora assists Brooks' class.  She is a graduate in Finance & Accounting from the University of Monterry, Mexico.  She has worked in the corporate world for several years and has over 12 years working with children in a church school.  She has also been a counselor in children's camp.

 

Polly Thombley: Polly assists in Prasadi's class.  She has a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Polly is a certified teacher and has home schooled her children for 11 years. Polly has also been a substitute teacher in Forsyth County schools for 2 years.  She lives with her husband and four children in Cumming. 

 

 

Sweenitha Weerasuriya: Sweenitha co-manages the afternoon program for younger Primary children.  She holds a Diploma in the Primary Montessori program from Colombo, Sri Lanka.  Sweenitha also holds a Diploma in Business Marketing from Sri Lanka.  She has taught at several Montessori schools since 1998.  Sweenitha is a mother of two grown up children who live in Sri Lanka.

 

 

In addition, administrative staff consists of:

Maria Haider:  Maria is the founder of Crabapple Montessori School and serves as its Director.  She has a degree in Education and has taught Elementary and Middle schools for several years.  She also holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta.  Maria is responsible for the management and overall administration of the school including supervision of policies and financial affairs.  She also works closely with the educational consultants and faculty to design and evaluate school curriculum as well as parent education programs.

Afshan Khan:  Afshan earned her Bachelor of Science degree and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of London.  She has taught elementary school children for several years.  She lives with her husband in Roswell and is the mother of three young children.  Afshan serves as an Administrative Assistant in the school.

 

 

Maria Carolina Lopez:  Carolina earned her degree in Business Administration from Venezuela and has an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta.  She has extensive experience in the Banking industry and has taught in Montessori schools for over six years.  She serves as an Administrative Assistant.

 

Omila Jain: Omila has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Delhi University in India and a professional diploma in fabric design.  She has worked at Crabapple Montessori School as a part-time assistant and a substitute teacher since 2007.  Omila is a mother of two young children.  She volunteers extensively at her children's schools and is an active PTA member Omila serves as an Administrative Assistant in the morning.

 

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