Supporting Staff: Enhancing our World

Our teachers and students are blessed to have a wonderful array of supporting staff who help make Green Mountain Montessori a truly special and unique environment.

Beth Tailer - Science & Nature Specialist

Mrs. Beth has brought wonder and delight to our children since 2002 - engaging them in an exploration of patterns and designs in nature with boundless creativity and energy. Ms. Beth has held many jobs in her lifetime. She is a trained nurse, and works at the Neo- Natal Intensive Care Unit at FAHC. But that is just one of many ways she brings joy to parents and children.

Ms. Beth has been an Environmental Learning for the Future (ELF) instructor with the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) since 2003 . She was recognized by VINS as an outstanding educator in 2006 and we certainly agree! She has also taught science to children in the Smuggler’s Notch Ski Camp since 2001, using a tepee for her classroom.

She practices what she teaches at her home in Essex with her husband, Tim - a wonderful area for natural exploration with farm animals, gardens, brook and forest that inspire her work.

Becky Sargis - Lead After School Teacher

Mrs. Becky earned her B.S. in Animal Science from Southern Illinois University, which is where she realized that she had a knack for inspiring her fellow peers as well as helping them to grasp information and understand it.  She is currently attending UVM, and will graduate from the Middle Level Education Grad Program in Spring 2008 with a Masters specializing in Science and Social Studies.

Becky has two children who are both in high school (Colby and Candice) and John her husband. They moved to Vermont in 2003 so that our children would be raised in the best state in the nation to rise children. She engages the children who stay for our after school program with very creative and interactive projects.

Mrs. Kung - After School & Substitute Teacher

Mrs. Kang has had many years of teaching experience in Korea with Kindergarten children and is would like to pursue Montessori certification. She believes strongly in helping develop the whole child – not only educationally but also socially and emotionally so that they will become wonderful independent members of our society. She began volunteering at GMMS in 2006 and loves to work with the children on art projects, teaching them the Korean language and Korean drumming, and encouraging them to explore new activities. Mrs. Kang lives in Essex with her husband, a local pastor, and two teenage children.

Maria Castro - After School & Substitute Teacher

Mrs. Maria volunteers her time because she loves working with children and especially enjoys doing arts and craft projects with them. We love having her too!

Maria was born on the island of LaPalma, Spain and went to the University of the Island of Tennerife where she received her education degree. After coming to the United States in 1954, Ms. Maria lived and worked on Long Island for 26 years where she was an assistant teacher for three and four year-olds at a nursery school before moving to Vermont. She lives in Essex Junction with her husband Ernest and they have a son and a daughter and grand children who live in Shelburne.

Gloria McGrail - Substitute Teacher

Mrs. Gloria officially "retired" in June 2006 as a classroom teacher at Green Mountain Montessori in 2006. However, we are blessed that her love for children and the joy she experiences teaching children about the world around them has kept her active at our school in a substitute teaching role.

Gloria's love of children extends from her own family to many other young children whom she has enlightened over the years.  She began her formal experience with a B.S. in Elementary Education from Framingham State College and teacher certifications in Elementary Education from Massachusetts and Connecticut, and then led toddler and preschool classrooms for 14 years at the Children's Academy in Ridgefield, CT.

Gloria and her husband Tom relocated to Vermont in 2003. The McGrails have 3 children and 4 grandchildren who live in Massachusetts and Vermont. The family enjoys boating on beautiful Lake Champlain in the summer and skiing in the Green Mountains in the winter. If the weather outside is frightful, Gloria enjoys reading and solving crossword puzzles.

Our Parents

We would be remiss in not including our parent community on this page - they are an important part of our classroom experience. Parents actively participate in our classrooms nearly every day - teaching additional crafts and skills and helping with special projects. A few of many examples are told through the pictures below: