Joan Shankin, Director
Joan lived in California and Texas as a child. She has a degree in English from Texas A&M, with minors in Education and Business. She taught in high school and middle school before she had her own retail business for ten years in Houston. She did Montessori training for the elementary level at the Houston Montessori Center in 1997, and taught in an elementary Montessori classroom for four years. She completed the Montessori preschool certification with the NCME-NM teacher training course in Los Alamos in 2010. She has two sons: Luke and Quinn, who attend La Mariposa Montessori School. Dot Breeden, South Classroom
Dot is from Indiana and has a degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University. For seven years, she taught all ages at the elementary level, most recently first grade in Espanola. In between teaching assignments, she worked at a guest ranch in Wyoming, and taught horse back riding in Japan. Dot started teaching in a Montessori classroom in 2004. In 2009 she received her International Montessori Teaching Diploma from the North American Montessori Center. She has two daughters, Kira, who attends St. Michaels, and Ellie, at El Dorado Community School. Her hobbies include horses, gardening and music.

Tej Gaytan-Legorreta, South Classroom and Aftercare
Tej received her International Montessori Teacher Diploma for 3 to 6 years olds from the Centro de Estudios de Educacion Montessori in Mexico City in 1994. She taught in a Montessori school in Mexico City before moving to Houston, Texas to teach in a bilingual school, Post Oak Montessori. She raised her son, who is now 28, in the Montessori tradition in Mexico and the United States. Tej is also a yoga instructor and Reiki master.

Prudence Atkins, South Classroom
Prudence was introduced to our school and the Montessori principles, through her granddaughter, Luz, a former student. While travelling in India in 2009, she became inspired to work with children on a broader scope, and decided to begin studying the Montessori method. She is a native New Mexican with a broad experience in the business world, and has lived all over the U.S. including Dallas, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Portland.

Ann Bracher, North Classroom Ann is a native Santa Fean. She has a degree from New Mexico State University in Business. Ann was an auditor for the State of New Mexico for 10 years. When her daughter was a baby, Ann started a child care business in her home. In 1990, she began teaching at a Montessori school. She did her Montessori training at the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in 2000. Ann enjoys gardening, sewing, cooking, and visiting her family in Denver.

Dora Brandt, North Classroom
Dora is from Mazatlan, Mexico, and still brings her family back to visit every year for a seaside vacation. She went to a technical college in Juarez. Then she worked in quality control for an auto manufacturer. Dora came to Santa Fe before her two sons, Marc and William, were born. Dora became a Montessori teacher in 2002 at the school that her sons attended. Her hobbies include crafts, dancing, gardening and painting.

Carolyn Zamudio, Toddler Classroom
Carolyn grew up in southern California, and moved to Santa Fe in 1989. She is currently taking the Montessori training for infants and toddlers through the North American Montessori Center. She has two children, Gabriel, at Monte Del Sol Charter School, and Marina, at El Dorado Community School. Her background is in music, art, literature and the culinary arts. She loves the school and is devoted to the children.

Page Meneely, Toddler Classroom
Page is a native Santa Fean, graduating from Santa Fe Community College and the College of Santa Fe before working for the U.S. Forest Service and being best barista Borders Bookstore has ever seen, according to an inside source. As a child, she went to Montessori school in Santa Fe, and that made such a significant impression on her that she decided to begin her studies as a Montessori teacher and join us at Children’s Garden Montessori. 

Carla Kountoupes, Music Teacher

Carla is an accomplished professional violinist and music educator with over 15 years experience. She recieved her under graduate degree in violin performance from the renowned Oberlin Conservatory, and also holds a master of music education degree. She performs regularly with the Sante Fe Symphony Orchestra, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and the Arizona Opera Orchestra. In addition to teaching Music Discovery classes every week at the Children's Garden Montessori school, "Ms. Carla" is also the Orchestra Director at the El Dorado Community School and teaches Suzuki violin with the Mozart y Mariachi program of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association. She maintains a private violin studio and loves performing contemporary, world, folk, and popular music, in addition to classical music. Her four year old daughter, Zoe Nizhoni, is in Ms. Dot and Ms. Prudence's class at the Children's Garden Montessori.