Meet Charlotte Wood

News and Updates

Baan Dek is elated to announce that we’ve just hired Charlotte Wood, a primary Montessori directress. Originally from California, Charlotte received her Association Montessori Internationale training from the Montessori Institute Northwest.

Next Fall, Charlotte will be joining our growing Montessori family, and we can’t wait to welcome her to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Read more about Charlotte, how she discovered Baan Dek, and what’s in store for the future….

Biography:

Charlotte grew up on the central coast of California, where she attended a Montessori school through the Elementary program at age 12. She attended San Diego State University, where she began her Bachelor of Arts work in Music, changing to Religious Studies her Junior year. After graduating in May 2008, Charlotte moved to Portland, Oregon, and took the AMI Primary course at Montessori Institute Northwest, obtaining her Masters of Education degree from Loyola University Maryland in conjunction with coursework completed at MINW.

Background and Interests:

As a former Montessori student herself, Charlotte has worked at an international Montessori school in Germany, and in the public Montessori program in Milwaukee. With a wealth of diverse experience, Charlotte loves working with children and families, and rejoices in the Montessori method of education. Her interests are just as myriad as her background. Charlotte is an avid knitter and singer, and has been trained in opera and jazz.  While she says that she is “beyond thrilled to be joining Baan Dek”, we’re absolutely ecstatic to have her join us.

Recruitment:

As a participant in the Association Montessori International’s student sponsorship program, we received an email from Charlotte Wood a few years ago, inquiring about potential opportunities. Unfortunately, at the time, the position was already filled by another applicant. Nonetheless, we decided to stay in touch. Upon completion of her training, and after gaining some experience in Germany and Milwaukee, Charlotte reached out to inquire about a job as a primary directress.

Well, a few weeks ago, after a number of lovely email and phone conversations, we welcomed Charlotte to the great state of South Dakota. She flew out for a couple of days and we showed her around the school, introducing her to the children and the community. Immediately, we knew, with Charlotte’s friendly and joyful personality, that she would make for a wonderful addition. With her energy and her compassion, we were as inspired as we were happy to learn that she felt right at home in Sioux Falls.

Future:

Together, we see a real opportunity to make a difference. We’re looking to change the education conversation, to introduce a greater appreciation of Montessori, to a much broader audience. We’re pretty confident, that with continued support and enthusiasm from parents, we can grow into this dialogue. We’ll also be starting some new parent workshops and pioneering community outreach.

With that in mind, however, we must always remember that our number one priority is, and always will be, the incredible minds that enter our classrooms each and everyday. Children teach us to believe in the world, as they learn to believe in themselves. There’s absolutely no limit to what is possible, especially when nothing truly seems impossible.

If you would like to send Charlotte a note, you can email her at: charlotte@baandek.org

Stay tuned for more announcements. They’re coming soon.