Keturah is the owner/director of Children’s House Montessori School, and is the lead Montessori teacher in the Sunrise Room.
Keturah’s career in early childhood education spans more than 30 years. After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Alabama, she earned her Montessori teaching certificate from Montessori World Educational Institute in San Louis Obispo, California. In addition, she has served as a field consultant for interns taking their Montessori training, and has attended the Course for Montessori School Management at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in New York. She has been in the Montessori classroom for more than 25 years, and has worked in a “traditional” preschool setting for several years as well.
Keturah has been married to Henry Collins for 40 years and they have two grown children. Henry’s career in the U.S. Army provided the opportunity to live in Germany, Korea, and Norway, and travel extensively in Europe and Asia. Keturah enjoys sharing these cultures and experiences with the children in her classroom. She also loves nature and teaching understanding and appreciation for all living things.
"Owning my own Montessori school was a dream of mine for many years that finally came true 6 years ago with the opening of Children's House. It is so satisfying to work with the families and staff that have been drawn to our special place. It is obvious that each child, parent, and staff member brings their talents, creativity and love here, making me proud to be the owner of Children's House."
Karen (pronounced KAH-rin) is the Assistant Director of Children's House and the lead Montessori teacher in the Sunset Room. She received her Montessori Early Childhood Credentials from the American Montessori Society following her training at the Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies (IAMS) in Silver Spring, Maryland. Karen has also served for several years as a consultant for IAMS, mentoring and evaluating interns who are in the process of becoming certified Montessori teachers.
Karen has been with Children's House since day one! She has watched the school grow from a tiny ten-student classroom to the vibrant, loving community that it is today.
Originally from South Africa, Karen moved to the United States with her family in 1990. She has lived in the Northern Virginia area ever since and currently resides in Leesburg with her husband, Pernell, and son, London.
"In my ten years of teaching I have been lucky enough to see inside many different schools, observe many different teachers, and visit many different classrooms. I am luckier still to be a part of Children's House, which is, in my opinion, more than just a school, but an extended family and a community built on a foundation of respect, collaboration, energy, and love. Helping children discover who they are, watching young families grow, and working on a daily basis with teachers who are dedicated, creative, and inspiring, are just a few of the reasons I look forward to coming to work each day."
Marierose Hoang is a Montessori teacher in the Sunrise Room. After 25 years of working in the corporate world at AT&T, Marierose began her "semi-retired" job at Children's House as a part-time teacher assistant in 2006. She loved this new second career so much that she decided to become certified as a Montessori Teacher at the Northeast Montessori Institute at Belmont Greene. She has been with Children's House for the last 4 years.
Marierose was born in Saigon, Vietnam and has been married to Lai Dang for 30 years. Lai is a CFO for a joint venture company in Vietnam. They have a daughter, Danielle, a former Montessori child who is currently working in the HIV/Aids research field while pursuing her medical degree in Boston. One of Marierose's goals in life is to be able to visit as many places as possible around the world and to share it with the children. In her spare time, she also tutors autistic children in her home.
"Working with children at Children's House has allowed me to be a humble, growing person, one who is always striving toward my own potential. I have gained and continue to gain a realistic knowledge of my own self and an understanding my capabilities and behaviors."
Sepi Dawn Aghili is a Montessori teacher in the Sunset Room. She completed her Montessori teacher training at Northern Virginia Montessori Institute in Ashburn, VA, in July 2010. She has nineteen years of experience in the childcare industry, twelve as a teacher and seven as a director and administrator.
Sepi was born in Tehran, Iran, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1977. She has family living in Canada, Washington, D.C., California, and Iran. She lives with her 14-year-old daughter, who is a freshman in high school. They own a precious Maltese named Tickle and a cockatiel named Starley.
“I love my job at Children's House because it is a privately owned school and it feels like family. I am very happy to have made the decision to leave the corporate world to teach children. Keturah and Karen are very organized and pay attention to every detail. There is ongoing training for the teachers and staff and most importantly, children are truly valued and respected.”
Diane Lathom is an assistant teacher in the Sunrise Room. Before coming to Children’s House in 2009, Diane was an assistant teacher for four years at Reston Montessori School.
Diane was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Great Falls, VA. She lives with her husband, Harry, and 4-year-old son, Trevor, in Ashburn, VA. Trevor is a pre-kindergartner in the Sunset Room.
”Children’s House is the community I was hoping to find for both my son and myself. I love the dedication to children that is so evident here. I feel privileged to be a part of this school.”
Zohra Shoaib is a Montessori Intern in the Sunset Room. She is currently taking her Montessori teacher training at Northern Virginia Montessori Institute in Ashburn, VA. She has been working in the field of education for more than ten years and taught elementary school in Karachi before coming to the United States.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Zohra moved to the U.S. in 2006. She is married and has three children. She enjoys cooking and reading, and likes to learn about different cultures and languages.
“I love children, and watching them learn and develop each day is fascinating. I love my job, my little fellows, and my co-workers. I feel honored to be the part of the Children’s House community.”
Ami Mehta is the yoga instructor at Children’s House. Originally a lover of classical dance and music, Ami has been teaching dance to mixed-aged children since 1991, when she lived in London, England. She found a love for yoga and Montessori after moving to the United States in 1996. She has been with Children’s House for over three years, as an assistant in the classroom for the first three years, and now as the yoga instructor.
Ami is married to Anurag, a vice president of sales with a mobile advertising company in McLean, VA. They have a beautiful daughter, Priyanka.
"Children’s House feels like an extended family, a community where children are encouraged to grow to their fullest potential, surrounded by positive energy. My goal here would be to help them develop a lifelong love for yoga and inner peace which is so much needed for children today."
María is the Spanish language teacher at Children’s House. Young children learn a language intuitively when they listen to it and have the opportunity to use it in a meaningful way. That is why her teaching strategies for children include the use of stories, rhymes, songs, action games and puppets. María taught elementary school for ten years before moving to the US and since then has been tutoring and teaching Spanish to both children and adults. She is currently Spanish instructor at the Reston Community Center and is also starting Spanish immersion and enrichment classes for preschoolers and elementary school children in the program “EducArte en español” in Herndon.
María was born in Uruguay, where she lived until she moved to Reston with her husband in 2003. They met in Montevideo while both were teaching in a private bilingual school. Nicholas, her husband, who is also a teacher, works for Fairfax County Public Schools. They have two boys, Sebastian, 7 and Lucas who is 4.
"I am very excited about working at Children’s House Montessori School. It is a great opportunity not only to observe firsthand how the Montessori learning method is implemented by experts, but also learn and exchange knowledge, thoughts and experiences with such a diverse and international group of professionals."
"Teaching has been a fulfilling career for me. I enjoy the very special connection that is built between the teacher and the learner. It is that opportunity to be part of the process in which a child or an adult grows in knowledge, self confidence and independence that motivates me. The most rewarding moments are when I meet children who were my students and have grown up, or not so young students whom I have taught, and they always tell me how well they remember me and how much fun we had while learning a foreign language."
Brooksie Wells shares her love of music with Children’s House once a week. She has been working with Montessori schools throughout the Northern Virginia area for many years. While not a Montessori trained teacher, she has an understanding and a love of the Montessori philosophy that makes her a perfect fit with our school community. She speaks French and Spanish, and loves to teach children songs from different countries. She has a large repertoire of children’s songs from around the world. She has a B.A. in English from Hofstra University in New York.
Brooksie was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and lives in Warrenton, VA with her daughter Julia. She is an accomplished songwriter and musician. While raising two children in the early 1990s she became an international children's performer, recording "Rainbow Family" and "Brooksie's Kid Songs." Her CD "Been There," features all-original alternative country songs, and her latest CD, "Anything But Love," recently won an independent music award.
You can find out more on Brooksie by visiting www.brooksiewells.com.
Ursula is the office manager at Children’s House Montessori School and has been with the school in this position for the past 4 years. She also runs our gardening program with the children.
Ursula was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and immigrated to the United States with her husband in 1998. Both her daughters, who are now in elementary school, attended preschool and kindergarten at Children’s House; the older daughter was one of our original students. Ursula loves gardening and enjoys sharing this with the children.
“Children’s House Montessori School has become part of my extended family. I love being around people and helping the families feel they are an important part of our school. Seeing the children progress through their different stages of growth gives me the greatest satisfaction.”
