Dogwood

(She/her) Camille received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from The Ohio State University. She then spent five years teaching dance to children of all ages in various studio and school settings in Atlanta, GA. While there, Camille served as a volunteer and board member at Reforming Arts, a non-profit providing theater infused liberal arts education to incarcerated women. In 2016, after twenty years away, Camille returned to her hometown of Nashville. She formerly served as a Primary All Day Assistant Guide. In 2019, she completed her Association Montessori Internationale training at the Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies.

Magnolia

 (She/Her) Hannah comes from a family of educators and is an AMI 3-6 diploma candidate at Instituto de Educação Maria Montessori in Portugal. She has worked with children for over 25 years. Having taught in various capacities, this year she is actualizing her dream of teaching Montessori by joining the staff at Montessori East. Initially from the East Coast, she holds a Bachelors in Neuroscience from Eastern University, Masters in Public Health and Doctor of Medicine from The George Washington University. She moved to Nashville in 2023. She loves a good vegetable garden, cooking in the kitchen and walking Nashville’s parks. In her free time, she practices yoga, medicine and plays with her cat, Millie Bea.

Sunflower

(She/her) Billie has worked with children of all ages in one capacity or another throughout most of her adult life. After spending several years as a stay-at-home mom with her two beautiful children, Nollie and Johnny, she realized that early childhood development was truly her calling. She joined the Montessori family in 2018 with a full heart; eager to assist in the development of each child, while continuing to learn and develop herself. Most recently, this development is in the form of Primary Training through the Prepared Montessorian Institute. For fun, she and her children enjoy exploring, camping, swimming, crafting, baking (taste-testing, mostly), reading and playing board games and baseball.

Daisy

(She/her) Miranda has been in Nashville since 2014, and she has worked in Montessori education since 2018. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and her primary training with the Association Montessori Internationale along with a Master’s Degree in Montessori Education through Loyola University. When outside of the classroom, Miranda enjoys spending time with her husband and friends. You can often find her reading a good thriller, going on hikes with her dog, or hosting a game night.

Bluebell

(She/her) Safiyah is an illustrator and jewelry maker born and raised in Nashville, TN. She studied Fine Arts at Nashville State Community College. Safiyah has always enjoyed working with children and would volunteer at Linden Waldorf school as a teenager. This is her first year at Montessori East as an Assistant Guide. She enjoys book reading, and making arts and crafts in both the classroom and outside of school. 

Rosebud

(She/her) Camila has spent the past six years supporting families and creating joyful learning experiences for children of all ages. She holds a Bachelor’s in Biotechnology and is completing her Master’s in Pharmaceutical Bioengineering at the University of Washington. Camila is originally from Colombia and loves sharing her passion for languages and culture. Outside of the classroom, you can usually find her speed skating, trying out new food, or dancing.

Rosebud

(She/They) Ty has been working with children since 2020 and has spent recent years working in Early Childhood Education.  She has a very strong passion for working with children, which was sparked after starting at Montessori. Ty received their diploma at Lead Academy and completed her TECTA orientation March 2024. She plans on studying ECE and minoring in Child Psychology. In their free time Ty enjoys creative activities such as painting, writing, and working with mixed media.

Daisy

(They/Them) V was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. They attended the University of Texas San Antonio and received their Bachelor’s of Arts in both Psychology and Art History. In 2021, they relocated to Nashville, TN and began working at Montessori East shortly after. They enjoy working in a space that fosters creativity, interdependence, and connection with nature. They have been a primary assistant teacher for 2 years, and now excited to take on the role of toddler assistant teacher. In their free time, they enjoy making art, reading fiction , watching films and gardening.

Dogwood

(She/her) DaiJordan is a Nashville native who graduated from Stratford Highschool. While there she enjoyed her role in the band as a co-captain of the majorettes. Also, she took a course called Teaching As A Profession and led her class in an observation visit to Montessori East. Her love of teaching children comes through her role as the oldest sibling in her family and from various other care settings. She enjoys painting, drawing, and other creative arts. 

Sunflower

(She/her) Traci has been working with children, both as a teacher and nanny, for 15 years. Most of those years teaching have been in Nashville after moving here from Arkansas. She grew up around teachers in her family so leaning into education came naturally. She likes to spent her time in Music City going to live concerts and has become a hockey fan after going to her first Predators game. She was introduced to the Montessori teaching methods in recent years and continues to learn about and love the Montessori philosophy.

Magnolia

(She/her) Franny’s work in education ranges from preschool to middle school to college instruction. Throughout her time earning her bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degree in linguistics, assisting in Montessori classrooms has been the work she keeps coming home to. Franny loves gardening, mending and altering clothes, and thrifting. Both of her daughters have attended Montessori East. 

Magnolia

Sunflower

(He/him) Alejandro was born in Spain and moved to Nashville recently. He holds a Bachelor of Education and degrees in Exercise and Sports Science. Alejandro has worked in different schools and sports clubs, teaching a variety of subjects and sports.

Sunflower

(She/her) Marjorie is originally from Indianapolis, and lives downtown Nashville with her husband of over ten years. She received her Bachelor degree in History from Indiana University, and has worked in several professional fields, but enjoys working with children the most. She comes to Montessori East after teaching Pre-K in public school, and appreciates the peaceful and creative environment Montessori education has to offer. In her free time, she loves traveling with her husband, exploring new cities, spending time with family/friends, reading, baking, and walking.

Orchid

(He/him) Adam has been living in Nashville since 2014. He found a love for working with children as a summer camp counselor when he was younger. He worked in a recording studio, as a freelance carpenter and rug maker, and most recently worked as a preschool teacher before joining Montessori East. Adam loves camping and hiking. He also recently started making his own pickles. Adam will also always have a love for live music.

Orchid

I’m Mehrdad Moloudi—an educator with a Ph.D. in Teaching English as a Second Language from Universiti Putra Malaysia. I’ve also completed teacher training certifications with the British Council and a course in Developing Online Teaching Programs with TESOL International Organization in the USA.

My passion has always been empowering young learners. I founded Mehrdad Language Academy—now serving more than 1,000 students across Iran—and authored the bestselling Magic Phonics series for teaching reading and writing to children. First published in 2012, these books received national recognition at Iran’s 10th Educational Books Festival in 2014 and have since been reprinted many times, with nearly half a million copies sold to date.

In 2024–25, I joined Vanderbilt University as a Humphrey Fellow, where I was researching the potential of AI in literacy instruction and school leadership.

My vision is to nurture confident, creative, global 21st-century learners—readers who think deeply and communicate clearly. At Montessori East, I’m honored to contribute within a joyful, supportive environment shaped by Montessori pedagogy, teamwork, and growth. My personal mission is to help young learners—my Orchids at Montessori East—become fluent, thoughtful readers and imaginative writers.