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Our Teachers

The Lefferts Gardens Montessori School is very proud of its professional and experienced faculty of Montessori teachers and trained classroom assistants. Talented classroom specialists provide additional enrichment to the curriculum at LGM. Continuing education courses, conferences and seminars are critical to the evolving field of education. Each teacher at LGM is required to maintain a continuing education plan unique to his or her area of concentration. Student development is a composite of the development of both students and staff members. If everyone is growing, the school finds new integration and expression of its values.

  Meet Our Teacher Director of LGM Elementary School
 
Micaela Almeda is an experienced educator with more than 12 years experience in Early Childhood and Elementary education.  She received her American Montessori Society credentials for Elementary I-II (ages 6-12) from the Princeton Center for Teacher Education.  Most recently, Micaela served as the Head of the Upper Elementary Program and the Curriculum Specialist at a midtown Manhattan Montessori school, where she taught grades 3-7. She designed the curricula for both the Lower and Upper Elementary programs, which incorporated the New York State Common Core Standards. In addition, she organized and led professional development workshops for teachers, coordinated enrichment programs for the school, including collaborating with local museums and other community-based organizations.  With her marketing background, Micaela produced print-advertisements in Montessori Life magazine and various marketing brochures for the elementary program.  
    
Prior to becoming an educator, Micaela served as a consultant and a graphic designer.  After witnessing her son’s innate love of learning in a nurturing Montessori pre-school, she was drawn to the Montessori philosophy and became a chair member of the parent committee. As her knowledge and passion for the Montessori philosophy grew, she leveraged her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design and crafted Montessori learning materials, which she used to launch an Elementary Montessori program at her son’s school.  To achieve this goal, Micaela simultaneously earned her Montessori Elementary credentials while pursuing her Masters degree in Graphic Communications Technology Management (with a specialization in Elementary curriculum). 

Micaela was raised in Singapore in an international environment.  She looks forward to leading LGME in its goal to provide a high-quality education to a diverse community of students in an interactive, dynamic and supportive environment.    

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The Whole Child
From the perspective of Maria Montessori and those who have followed in her steps, each child is a whole child with an intellect, cognitive capacities, linguistics and social skills housed in a physical body and an unassailable spirity. A Montessori environment is prepared for the whole child and children are encouraged to make use of the whole environment.

The instinctive strides of a child's earliest years now, by the age of three, four, and five, give way to more deliberate efforts to make sense of and master their world. At LGM, children receive support to look inside for inspiration and to do things for themselves.

On a practical level, this requires a work ethic on the part of the teacher and the child. We help children learn to problem-solve so they can think for themselves, rather than give them the answers. Though there are group and one-on-one presentations by our teachers, our teachers do not say "Today I am going to teach you". They model and authentic engagement with life and learning through the class materials. Thus, children learn the Montessori method of selecting an activity, settling down to work, respecting their companions as they work, focusing and completing the work at hand, and replacing the material when finished to complete the process.

Children learn the Montessori method of selecting an activity, settling down to work, respecting their companions as they work, focusing and completing the work at hand, and replacing the material when finished to complete the process.

From such a simple method, the whole child blossoms. Our modeling demonstrates a way of being. They develop habits of mind that naturally result in soundness of spirit and a trustworthy autonomy. From their freedom, they learn responsibility, self-respect, and acquire an innate self-discipline.

Out of this, children gain self-confidence and develop an appreciation of aesthetics. They move gracefully within their environment and relate to the world through a serenity and joyfulness that results in dignity, respect for others, and respect for the materials and their environment. These children wish to be respected, not as embryonic adults but as individuals who respect the liberties to which they are accustomed and deserving.

This result trascends the classroom to reveal something about human nature – order, respect, and self-discipline result in freedom, creatvity, self-respect and dignity which in turn generates respect for others.

In our Montessori environment, children learn to love to focus and concentrate, work hard, seek knowledge, problem-solve and live harmoniously.