Our Teachers

Julee White, Director and West Class

Julee was born was raised Montessorian in her mother’s school. She attended Carnegie Melon University, studying art and design, before moving to Santa Fe in 1997.  Julee found Children’s Garden when observing preschools for her own daughter, and began working her shortly after.  Next, she completed her Primary Montessori training at the New Mexico Center for Montessori Education in June 2016.  Julee is a co-teacher in our PreK classroom and is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education for Montessori Credentialed Students at St. Catherine University.

Jenny Coute, Middle Room

Jenny is from Boston, MA. Before moving to Santa Fe, she spent some time in Chiapas, Mexico, where she was working on a photo-journalism project involving indigenious human rights. Jenny is passionate about being a positive educator in children’s lives. Currently, she is finishing her degree in education with a dual major in special education online at Grand Canyon University. Jenny has found her home here at Children’s Garden. She enjoys nature, hiking, gardening, and cooking.

Mitchell Gustin, East Class

Mitchell Gustin has worked in a number of different educational settings for the past seven years, acting as a music director, guest English teacher in South Korea, kindergarten teacher, and Montessori teacher’s assistant and lead. His love for teaching is equally matched with his love for music and art. In the community, Mitchell plays saxophone with Partizani Brass Band, sings with Santa Fe Sacred Harp, and is a member of Gamelan Encantada in Albuquerque. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Cornish College of the Arts and is currently pursuing another Bachelor in Early Childhood Education at St. Catherine’s University. His discovery of Montessori education happened shortly after moving to Santa Fe from Southern California in 2018. He received his Montessori credential from the American Montessori Society in March 2022. Mitchell is delighted to be working at Children’s Garden Montessori and is committed to the growth and success of every child. He vows to meet every child’s needs with the same tenderness he receives upon entering the school.

 Corey Ponder, East Class

 

Corey grew up in Santa Fe, NM, and joined Americorp NCCC after high school. Upon completion of 1800 service hours in various community  service projects around the nation, she moved to San Francisco, CA, where she lived for 16 years. During that time she completed an undergraduate degree in Humanities with an emphasis on Youth in Society.  She taught for eight years in San Francisco at the Jewish Community Center Hellen Diller preschool , using the Reggio Emilio approach, which emphasizes the child’s play and interests to direct the flow of the lessons and in-depth projects.  She then worked as a private nanny to a set of twins, and eventually moved to Denver, CO. After a very snowy winter, and the loss of her mother, Belle, Corey came back home to Santa Fe and began teaching at Children’s Garden Montessori.  Her interests include social justice, swimming, hiking and cooking.

 

Monika Heikkero, East Class

 

Monika grew up in former East Germany. As soon as she was able to travel and explore the world, she did. She lived in England, Finland and India. Eventually her travels brought her here to Santa Fe which she has called home for 15 years. Monika originally studied pottery and is now the owner of a small-batch, home-based pottery studio MOHEI CERAMICS, selling online and at local shows. Throughout her journey she worked with children as a babysitter, child facilitator in clay camps, German kids classes and at Body Kids in Santa Fe. Monika discovered Children’s Garden Montessori when looking for a school for her own kids. She loved the teaching style and became an Assistant once her kids were older. Monika has enjoyed her  Montessori assistants training and has started child development classes. Working with children within this beautiful school setting and philosophy has been a deeply fulfilling and continuous personal growth opportunity for Monika.

Fiona Madrid, West Class

I was born and raised in New Mexico. My mother was a Montessori teacher, and I went to a few Montessori schools myself. I grew up with a big family and was always around kids. I would do a lot of babysitting when I was younger. In 2020, I started at Children’s Garden Montessori as a sub, it quickly became my full time job. I have begun my studies in early childhood development and Montessori. It has been a great honor learning and growing with so many different families, and I am excited to continue learning and working with children.

Emma Harrell, West Class

Born in Hawaii and raised on the north shore of Massachusetts, Emma has always had a passion for the care and education of children. Emma has studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan; she is currently finishing an associate’s degree in early childhood education at the Santa Fe Community College. While living in Boston and New York City, Emma worked as a private nanny and caregiver to families for over 10 years, specializing in art education and children with special needs. Emma moved to Santa Fe with her husband in the fall of 2019 and trained at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. She enrolled her son at Children’s Garden Montessori because she believes in the community, culture, and commitment to children’s wellbeing that this school embodies.

Mitchell Henkin, West and East Class

Mitchell was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Maryland. He is the 2nd of 5 children and grew up caring for his younger siblings while his parents traveled for work. Little did he know that this would plant a seed within him that would draw him towards childcare later in life. In his early 20’s he moved to New York City, where he lived for 10 years.  Three years ago, he moved to New Mexico to get away from busy coastal cities during covid. Emma asked him to check the Montessori school out, thinking he’d be a good fit, and from there Mitchell discovered a job that really motivated him and gave him a deep feeling of purpose. He is now taking classes in child development; he is loving it every step of the way, and really appreciates the opportunity of being able to work here at the Children’s Garden. On top of that, Mitchell loves to hike, play drums, work on film, and write short stories and poetry.

Karolyn Willson, Middle Room

Karolyn is a nurturing caregiver with a big heart for small children. Through her adult life she has been a birth and postpartum doula, a lactation consultant, a breastfeeding peer counselor coordinator on a Pueblo for WIC, and provided administrative support and management for several infant mental health organizations. She comes to Children’s Garden from providing support to home-bound elders, and appreciates the liveliness and vitality of toddlers. She has five grown daughters, quite a few grandchildren, and a degree in patient and family health education.

Laurel Wilson, Middle Room

 

Born in Santa Monica, Laurel has lived in Santa Fe for most of their life. Laurel was largely “unschooled” and has always found value in children being able to choose their own way of learning. They discovered Children’s Garden Montessori after enrolling their child in the school in 2022. After seeing the benefit that the school had on their child Laurel felt moved to become a teacher there. They believe that there is no better way to spend their time than watching the wonder of children discovering the magic of the world. When not at the school, Laurel is an avid crocheter, coffee drinker, and board game enthusiast.

Joan Shankin, Founder and Business Manager

Joan has a degree in English from Texas A&M, with specialization in Education and Business. She taught in high school and middle school before owning a optical retail business for ten years in Houston. Joan completed Montessori training for the elementary level at the Houston Montessori Center in 1997, and then taught in an elementary Montessori classroom for four years. She was awarded the Montessori preschool certification from the NCME-NM teacher training center at White Rock in 2010. Her hobbies include swimming and officiating at swim meets.