Directing the program are:
Biff Maier M.Ed.,
AMS 3-6 and 6-9, AMI 6-12
Michael Duffy M.Ed.,
AMS 6-12
Robyn Breiman M.Ed.,
AMS 3-6 and 6-12
Faculty also includes:
Michael Silverstone
Holly Stoehr
Diana Traylor
Martha Torrence
Mary Velasquez
Michelle Van Niel
Dave Wilkins
Joel Wilkinson
Lisa Blackford
Elizabeth Hoffman
Seth Johnson
Shaina LaFlamme
Jody Trimm
Sheila Reed
Vanessa Rigaud
Nancy Schlussel
Lisa Blackford
Lisa@mettc.org
Lisa is an Upper Elementary Teacher, consultant, and teacher educator. She has 27 years of Montessori teaching experience and spent 10 years in Arizona teaching and working with CMTE/NY-Phoenix faculty. Before teaching, Lisa worked for Northern Arizona University and the National Park Service as a Curator of Paleontological and Archaeological Collections. She holds a B.A. in Geobiology from Valparaiso University, an M.S. in Quaternary paleontology from Northern Arizona University, and an AMS 6-12 credential (CMTE/NY).
Robyn Breiman
Robyn@mettc.org
Robyn is a Montessori teacher educator, school consultant, field consultant, lecturer, workshop presenter and accreditation visitor in the US and internationally. A Montessorian for over forty years, she's taught 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12 and was Head of School at The New School, in Cincinnati, OH. Robyn served on the AMS Board of Directors for 6 years, until 2018 and served as advisor to the AMS' Emerging Leaders Fellowship program and ELF mentor. Robyn earned a B.A. in English (SUNY Binghamton) and M.Ed. (Xavier University). She has AMS credentials for Early Childhood, Elementary I and Elementary II. Robyn serves as METTC's program coordinator and practicum coordinator.
Michael Duffy
Michael@mettc.org
Michael has been involved in Montessori education since his daughter entered her first Montessori class some 40 years ago. After 21 years as a journalist, he became a teacher, earning AMS 6-12 credentials through CMTE/NY. He was a cofounder of Blackstock Montessori School in Villa Rica, GA, and has experience teaching 6-9 and 9-12, as well as running the school media center. In addition to his Montessori credentials, he holds a B.A. in philosophy, an M.A. in theology, and an M.Ed. in media education. Michael has presented at local, national, and international conferences, has consulted at numerous schools around the country, and has been a teacher trainer for CMTE/NY and other Montessori teacher training programs in Puerto Rico and Vancouver. He is the author of Math Works: Montessori Math and the Developing Brain and is the co-author of Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom and Love of Learning: Supporting Intrinsic Motivation in Montessori Students. He and his wife, D’Neil, were honored with the AMS Living Legacy award in 2018. They currently live in Massachusetts.
Elizabeth Hoffman
Elizabeth began her journey in Montessori at the age of two and has remained a part of the Montessori community, working in all levels of classrooms from primary to middle school. After 12 years as a Head Teacher at the Elementary level, Elizabeth currently supports schools with administration, consulting, and professional development. Elizabeth is Admissions Director as well as teaching faculty and field consultant at METTC. Elizabeth holds an AMS teaching credential for Elementary I-II (CMTE/NY & METTC), as well as a B.S. in Environmental Science (SUNY-ESF) and an M.Ed in Special Education (University of Maine). She is currently working towards an LCPC to continue to support children, families and schools in creating and maintaining inclusive learning environments where neurodiversity is celebrated and all children thrive.
Seth Johnson
Seth@mettc.org
Seth is an Upper Elementary teacher at Lexington Montessori School. He has worked with elementary students for the past 19 years at Montessori schools in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts; though his first exposure to Montessori came as a student, attending from age 3 through 3rd grade. Seth has presented at local and national Montessori conferences in the areas of ecological sustainability, self-regulation, and mathematics. His outside interests include time outdoors, tennis, and music (French horn and guitar). He holds a B.S. in Music (Indiana University), an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction (Baylor University), and an AMS 6-12 credential (Houston Montessori Center and CMTE/NY).
Shaina LaFlamme
Shaina@mettc.org
Shaina is a Lower Elementary Teacher at the Lexington Montessori School in Lexington, Massachusetts. Her love of Montessori began when she attended a Montessori school from the age of 3 through the third grade. Shaina has a B.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College, a 6-9 credential from CMTE/NY, and joined the CMTE/Lexington staff in 2005. She is proud to be the mother of two second-generation Montessori children.
Biff Maier
Biff@mettc.org
Biff is Director of Academic and Alumni Projects at Lexington Montessori School, Lexington, MA, where he also teaches upper elementary students. Involved with Montessori since 1974, Biff is an AMS workshop presenter and consultant, and he leads the AMS Elementary Instructor Academy. A former chair of the Teachers’ Section and member of the AMS National Board of Directors, Biff received the 2021 AMS Living Legacy Award. He holds a B.A. in psychology (Duke University) and an M.A. in education with AMS Early Childhood and Elementary 6-9 credentials (Xavier University), and an AMI 6-12 credential (International Center for Montessori Studies, Bergamo, Italy). Biff is the proud parent of two Montessori graduates.
Jody Trimm
Jody@mettc.org
Jody is the Head of Elementary Programs at Brooklyn Heights Montessori School in NYC. She taught in a traditional classroom for 5 years before finding Montessori in 2010. There was no looking back! She holds an AMS teaching credential for Elementary I-II (CMTE/NY & METTC) and a B.S. and M.Ed. in Elementary Education (University of Minnesota).
Sheila Reed
Sheila@mettc.org
Sheila has helped develop programs and curriculum at the Chemung Valley Montessori School in Elmira, NY since 1976, beginning with a 3-6 class of 12 students. She has taught children at the Early Childhood, Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary levels, and was head of the school’s 9-12 team for 25 years before becoming Academic Dean in 2016. She is a reading and writing specialist and facilitates writing workshops for children and adults. Sheila has worked as a teacher educator since 1995 and has been a workshop presenter at AMS conferences. She serves as a METTC field consultant to schools in NY and PA. Sheila has a B.A. in German (Wilson College), an M.S.Ed. with a concentration in reading (Elmira College), an AMI 3-6 credential (Minnesota), and an AMS 6-12 credential (CMTE/NY).
Vanessa Rigaud, EdD
Vanessa@mettc.org
Vanessa is currently an Assistant Professor/ Montessori Elementary Program Coordinator for the School of Education/ Montessori Institute at Xavier University. Previously, Vanessa held the position of Dean of Curriculum and Learning and Director of Education-Lower School at the AMS-accredited/ IB PYP authorized world school, in Qingdao, China. Vanessa has nine years of administration experience and 14 years of teaching experience in the United States, including teaching positions in public and private Montessori schools. Vanessa is a certified public school teacher for grades Pre-K through 6th grade and holds a MACTE Montessori Early Childhood and AMS Elementary I-II teaching credentials. Vanessa is a trained CLASS Teachstone observer. In addition, she is an educational consultant.
Vanessa enjoys traveling and has visited over 20 countries around the world. When she is not in the airplane, you will find her nestled in a book reading, painting/ drawing at the easel, or designing some new. Sports continues to be her passion; here in Cincinnati she plays tennis on the singles and doubles GCITA team at her club.
Nancy Schlussel
Nancy@mettc.org
Nancy is currently the Elementary Coordinator and Lead Upper Elementary teacher at the Montessori School of Evergreen, Colorado. Before relocating back to Colorado, she was Summit Montessori’s Elementary Curriculum Coordinator for 6 years in Framingham, MA. She has worked with elementary students for the past 26 years in Massachusetts and Colorado. She is drawn to Montessori because it encourages children to learn through curiosity about the world around them. She has also worked as a Montessori consultant throughout Colorado, helping develop inclusive elementary curriculums. She is a board member, faculty, and Co-Program coordinator with Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative. Before becoming a Montessori teacher, she worked as an Outdoor Educator in experiential education. She earned her B.S. degree in Outdoor Education from Ithaca College and her AMS Elementary I-II credential from CMTE/NY(Center for Montessori Teacher Education Center). Nancy is a parent of two Montessori children.
Michael Silverstone
MSilverstone@mettc.org
Michael is a Lower Elementary guide at Newton Montessori School in Newton Centre, MA. Michael has over 15 years experience as a public school elementary classroom teacher and been at Newton Montessori since 2017 when he received his certification through METTC . He was a American Montessori Society Emerging Leaders Fellow and is the author of a number of non-fiction books for young people and is co-author of a number of books on education including In it Together: How Student, Family and Community Partnerships Advance Engagement in Diverse Classrooms (Corwin, 2015). Michael has a B.A. in Writing (Columbia University), an M.A. in English Education (New York University), and an AMS 6-9 credential (METTC).
Holly Stoehr
Holly@mettc.org
Holly fell in love with Montessori education in 1979, while teaching creative movement for children in a public Montessori school and acting as an assistant in an Early Childhood environment. After receiving her AMS credentials, she taught children for over three decades in Montessori schools based in New York and Massachusetts. Currently, she works as a school consultant and teacher educator, enjoying the chance to collaborate with and learn from others. Her credentials include a B.A. from SUNY at Buffalo and M.Ed. degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University, along with both her AMS 3-6 and 6–9 certifications (CMTE/NY-Lexington). Holly believes deeply in holistic education and the important role the arts play in learning. As an acknowledged lifelong learner, she delights in the opportunities that come with being both a novice and an expert, most recently learning to play the piano and working with plants.
Diana Traylor
Diana@mettc.org
Diana is a Lower Elementary teacher at Summit Montessori School in Framingham, MA. She taught at Lexington Montessori School for 18 years. She earned a B.A. in Art History from Oberlin College and an AMS 6–9 credential (CMTE/NY-Lexington). Diana has lifelong experience in the arts and is passionate about integrating the arts into education. She has presented workshops for conferences for the American Montessori Society and Montessori Schools of Massachusetts. Diana plays violin in the Turkish music ensemble Orkestra Marhaba and with the Montessori band Grace and the Courtesies. Diana is a proud parent of two Montessori-educated children.
Martha Torrence
Martha@mettc.org
Martha presents our Introduction to Montessori and 3-6 Overview program. Martha’s career in Montessori education had led her to explore many roles, including classroom teacher, administrator, teacher educator, workshop presenter, action researcher, author, and AMS board member. She is currently the Head of School at Summit Montessori School in Framingham, MA. Martha also currently serves as board chair of the Montessori Schools of MA. She has been a passionate advocate for Montessori education since becoming converted from traditional to Montessori Ed through the influence of an extraordinary Montessori child; the rest, as they say, is history. Martha earned both her B.A (Liberal Arts) and M.Ed. (Curriculum and Instruction) from the Pennsylvania State University. She also holds an AMS Early Childhood credential (Ithaca, NY). She is an award-winning author on her chosen research topic of play and has co-authored a chapter on Montessori education for a college text. Martha is passionate about working with adult learners, about advocating for Montessori education, and about learning to play the cello, which takes the most courage of all.
Michelle Van Niel
Michelle@mettc.org
Michelle was a Lower Elementary teacher at Inly School for seven years. She studied Psychology at Colby College and has a Masters in Elementary Education from Lesley University. She received her Elementary I credential from METTC in 2015 and has enjoyed supporting as a staff member since 2016!
Mary Velasquez
Mary@mettc.org
Mary has been a Montessori educator for over 30 years. She is currently a teacher leader at Allium Montessori Elementary School in Cambridge, MA, part of the Wildflower Network. She is a founding member of the Board and Faculty of METTC, where she coordinated the design of the Elementary II (9-12 stand-alone) training course. She has a B.A. in English (Harvard University) and AMS Infant/Toddler and Elementary 6-12 credentials.
Dave Wilkins
Dave@mettc.org
Dave is currently an Upper Elementary Teacher at the Riverbend School in Natick, MA. He holds an AMS 6-12 credential from CMTE/NY and a B.S. in Accounting from LaSalle University. He joined the faculty of CMTE/NY in 2004.
Joel Wilkinson
Joel@mettc.org
Joel is a Lower Elementary teacher at The Homestead School, located at a century-old family homestead on eighty-five acres of fields, woods, marshes, ponds, and streams in rural Glen Spey, NY. He has 30+ years of Montessori experience, including teaching at Penn-Mont Academy, Pennsylvania’s first Montessori school, and an administrative role as Curriculum Coordinator for the Wyoming Valley Montessori School in Kingston, PA. He had worked with the CMTE/NY faculty since 1995 and been an AMS presenter at several national conferences. Prior to becoming a Montessori teacher, Joel ran environmental education and camp programs for the National Wildlife Federation, the NJ School of Conservation, and the Princeton-Blairstown Center. In addition to his enduring love of nature and the outdoor pursuits, he also has a passion for music and choral singing. He manages our website and serves as coordinator for online instruction. He holds an M.A. in environmental education (Montclair State University/NJ), a B.S. in recreation (Pennsylvania State University) and an AMS 6-12 credential (CMTE/NY).