STAFF BIO’S
Patience Schutrumpf Director
Patience Montessori was born out of a lifelong passion for children. After a stint in IT, Patience switched to childcare and re-discovered her calling. During an internship at a Montessori School for her director training, her belief and confidence in the Montessori Method was cemented. She saw that children are significantly more advanced, balanced, better at interacting with others and, as adults, more successful in life. With her son Alaric as the first student, Patience is now living her dream of running a Montessori school. Patience Montessori is run, first and foremost, the way any discerning parent wants their child nurtured and educated. In addition, Patience is providing the Boulder community with a quality, multicultural childcare center that provides for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. When Patience has a moment to herself she enjoys spending time with her family and relaxing with a good book.
Amy Haywood
Musicare Instructor
Ms. Amy, singer, storyteller, writer, and mother of two, grew up in Asia and sang in bands throughout high school. She has two degrees in Education and English Literature with a minor in Music from Guilford College. She has been teaching Musicare since 1987. In 1999, Amy and four other Musicare instructors created Camp Oonie Koonie Cha, an early childhood music camp in Winston-Salem. Musicare and Camp OKC, nourish Amy’s profound interest in children. Amy and her music partner, Claire Valine, have won two Parents’ Choice Awards for children’s music recordings. They have five works in total. Amy resides and teaches in Boulder, Colorado. She is working on publishing “Miss Ellie”, the story from her “Rockin in the Rabbit Hole” CD.
Miss Laura
Musicare Instructor
Laura graduated from the University of Denver with a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music Performance. In addition to teaching Musicare and Music Together, Laura is a member of St. Martin’s Chamber Choir and Harmonia and performs regularly with these groups. She recently completed her Orff Certification Level 1 and is excited to bring some new ideas into her teaching. Laura loves experiencing music as part of her everyday life, and is delighted that she can share this experience with your children.
Jamie Kurzman
Floater- All Classrooms
Jamie was born and raised in the city of Chicago. After high school, she attended Skidmore College in upstate New York for one year. While there she received training in early Childhood education. Jamie received the remainder of her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she graduated with two Bas in Sociology and Communication. Throughout college Jamie worked for a start-up company in Boulder as a marketing intern and as a part-time volunteer in the Literacy Room at Crestview Elementary School in North Boulder. Her volunteer work at Crestview sparked her interest in working with children. This passion has led her to pursue a masters in Speech and Language therapy. Jamie began working for Patience Montessori in May of 2011 where she continues to hone her experience and interest in working with developing children.
Ann Meijer
Lead Teacher – Wobbler Room
Ann Meijer is a native of Sweden. She has experience in many different areas that make her a wonderful asset to this school. The Montessori philosophy was an early part of Ann’s life. As a teenager, she helped out in a Montessori School. When her own children started attending a Montessori school, Ann started teaching using the Montessori Method herself. While in Sweden she joined up with other parents and started her own Montessori School Co-Op where she was the director. Not only does she have many years of Montessori experience but she was also a nurse in a Neurosurgery unit. In her spare time she enjoys skiing, golfing, reading a good book and being creative with watercolors. Her 3 children and 4 grandchildren are a big part of her life.
Athena Dubois
Lead Teacher – Primary Room
Miss Athena joins us from Lyons Community Montessori, where she has been a lead teacher in their Primary Room for the past four years. Prior to her work at Lyons Community Montessori, Miss Athena taught at Central Elementary and Spengler Elementary School in Longmont. Miss Athena is an AMS-certified Montessori teacher, and is group-leader qualified. Miss Athena spent 14 years in Holland and is fluent in Dutch. Her multicultural background combined with her passion for children makes her a strong and effective teacher here at Patience Montessori School. During her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family.
Megan Slattery
Floater – All Classrooms
In 2008 Megan graduated from Miami University in Ohio and moved to Boulder. For three years Megan utilized her bachelor’s degree in communications and film by helping produce documentaries for the National Geographic Channel. In the fall of 2010 she took time off to travel and found herself in Tanzania, Africa. She became inspired to work with children after volunteering at an orphanage located on a coffee plantation in rural Tanzania. Megan intends to go back to school to obtain an early childhood education certificate.
Elizabeth Childers
Lead Teacher – Nido Room
Elizabeth initially became interested in infants and their care while on newborn nursery rotation for her Licensed Practical Nurse certification in 1976. She then worked in a normal newborn nursery at Boulder Community Hospital and in corporate day care. She became further interested in child development while obtaining a BA in Contemplative Psychology from Naropa University here in Boulder. She also obtained her AMI Infant/Toddler certification through MECR in 2003. In her free time she enjoys reading, the outdoors, and being with family and friends. She has a wonderful son and a beautiful granddaughter who is attending Montessori School in India.
Ali Davidson
Floater – All Classrooms
Ali was born and raised, right here, in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. She attended University at a small liberal arts school n New Brunswick, Canada called Mt. Allison University. She graduated in May of 2010 with a degree in English literature. She adores children and has worked and volunteered with children of all ages for many years. In her free time, Ali enjoys running, skiing, and traveling.
Laura Durkin
Office Assistant
Laura grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin then moved to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado in 2007. She graduated in May of 2011 with one BA in Spanish and one in Psychology. Her love of children started when she worked at an orphanage in Panama during her sophomore year of high school. She is also a certified yoga and Principle-Based Partner Yoga teacher. She has aspirations of getting a certificate in Family and Marriage Counseling and then combining clinical therapy with yogic healing methods to treat her patients holistically. Until then, she enjoys learning more about children and their development in the educational and familial context. In her free time she loves to travel, hike, ski, and practice yoga.
Lisa Marte
Lead Teacher – Mini Room
Lisa’s first experience with the Montessori Method was in her own country, the Dominican Republic, at a school called Little Montessori. She then moved here, to the US, in 1998 to attend the University of Kansas where she received her BA in Human Development and Family life. She was then certified through the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota and came to Denver to work at Sandoval Bi-lingual Montessori School. She has just returned to Colorado from living in New Jersey for a while to work with us here at Patience Montessori. In her free time she enjoys volunteering in orphanages, cooking dishes from her native country, reading, and hiking.
Farahnaz (Naz) Jabbariazar
Intern/Assistant Teacher- Primary Room
Naz is originally from Iran. She is a wife and a mother of a three year old son. She was an early childhood teacher for twelve years in Iran. She believes that each child is a jewel that must be nurtured in order to develop his or her potential. She believes that service to mankind, and children in particular, is a form of worship. She has BA in psychology from Baha’i University in Iran. Her Montessori training was from the Montessori Educational Center of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado. She is fluent in Turk and Farsi with some knowledge of Arabic. Her son speaks English, Turk and Farsi.
Carolyn Fournier
Assistant Teacher – Mini Room
Carolyn joins us from Boston, Massachusetts where she graduated from Gordon College with a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature and a Master’s degree in Education. She recently relocated to Boulder, Colorado with her husband Erich. Carolyn adores children and has worked with a variety of different age levels. She desires to foster learning and have a positive impact on those around her. Carolyn loves the outdoors, especially skiing and sailing with her husband and hiking with her dog Alta.
Kimberly Subulski
Assistant Teacher – Wobbler
The vast majority of Kimberly’s 15 years of experience working in early childhood education programs she has spent at NEYC () accredited schools. She is passionate about working with this age group because she believes this is when the child strives for independence and self-mastery. As an early childhood educator, she believes, it is her job to provide a setting that allows for this while meeting each child’s individual needs. In her free time she enjoys reading, practicing yoga, playing the guitar, drawing, painting, mountain biking, snowboarding, and backpacking.
