I attended Minnesota State University-Mankato, where I earned a degree in English and Speech Communications for secondary education.  After teaching middle and high school Language Arts and Communications for six years, I stayed home to raise our daughter while providing childcare out of our home.  Once our daughter reached pre-school age, I became interested and invested in early childhood education and Montessori.  I earned my AMS certification from St. Catherine University in 2010 and worked as a teaching assistant in Children’s House, E1 and E2 classrooms at J.J. Hill Montessori for four years.  I went on to complete a Master’s in early childhood education and was honored to be the very first Montessori guide at Cherokee Heights in the fall of 2015.

I love to garden, walk our dog, travel out west to the mountains, camp, read, drink coffee, box (yes, box!), learn, and laugh.

Pre-k and Kindergarten students in my class will gain independence as they are given the freedom to choose work with Montessori materials in the areas of Math, Language, Geography, Science, Practical Life (life skills), Sensorial (exploration of the senses), and Art.

Below is a description of Montessori characteristics written by Michael Dorer, former director of the Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs at St. Catherine University:

http://www.montessorichildrenshouse.org/why-montessori/montessori-characteristics/

While email is most convenient: elizabeth.boyd@spps.org, I am always open to phone calls before or after school and believe that face to face conversations are ideal.  Let me know in advance and I can plan to meet anytime before school or Wednesday or Thursday after school.

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”

― Malala Yousafzai