Nancy Coyle – BA, BEd, MRE
Director of TMI
Nancy was introduced to Montessori education in 1983 when she attended the Toronto Montessori Institute for her Early Childhood training. She was drawn to the method of education because of the concept of the universal child and because the diploma was internationally accredited allowing her opportunity to teach around the world.
“I fell in love with the Montessori system, which provides the means for children to meet their developing needs and conveys a humanistic approach to the whole child.”
Nancy is a life long learner continuing her studies today while she balances the demands of being a mother of a teenage son and two dogs.
Rosanna Gaudio BA, MEd, AMI Elementary
Senior Trainer -
Rosanna came to the Montessori method of education 19 years ago because she wanted to be a teacher. At the time she felt that the traditional form of education was not in line with her own ideas of teaching and learning but she found that the Montessori method was.
After successfully completing her training to become a Montessori Elementary teacher at TMI in 1988 Rosanna taught in an Elementary classroom for 9 years. During her time as an elementary teacher Rosanna would often help out at the Institute and discovered that she would like to pursue her training to teach adults how to teach the Montessori method. Rosanna began working for the Institute full time in 1997 as an Elementary trainer and completed the Training of Trainers programme.
Rosanna loves to teach adults, which comes through in the admiration and respect she gains from her students.
Maureen Pesner BA, AMI Primary, TMI Elementary
Senior Trainer
Maureen Pesner is the 8th child in a family of 10 children, born and raised in Ottawa. Those who know her well are aware of the finely honed attention to details with which she tackles many aspects of her job. She sets high standards for herself and expects quality work from her students.
Maureen started her journey like many other Montessorians with discovering the Montessori method through a child. Maureen’s nephew attended a Montessori school and when she heard about his experiences she was immediately interested. Maureen did her Primary training with TMI graduating in 1987 she then returned to the Institute as a student to complete her elementary training in 1999. She joined the Institute as a trainer in 1997 while taking the Training of Trainers course and has taught the Early Childhood Programme for almost 11 years.
Ivana Sconza, BA, AMI Primary, TMI Elementary
Ivana Sconza discovered Montessori education while completing her BA in psychology at the University of Toronto. Intrigued by the philosophy, Ivana completed her Early Childhood Training at TMI in 1987 and began her career in an Early Childhood classroom in shortly thereafter. As her children moved from Early Childhood to Elementary Ivana found herself interested to learn more about what they were doing and how the Montessori elementary curriculum met the needs of her children. In 2002 Ivana completed the Elementary part I diploma programme at TMI. To further extend her understanding of Montessori Ivana began to work with the Institute as an examiner and lecturer. She left the classroom to join TMI full time in 2006.
Christine Carter, BA, AMI Primary, TMI Infant Toddler
Christine Carter has been around the Montessori system from the age of three when her parents enrolled her in the program. Indeed, one of her first classrooms is one of the classes in which she teaches now as a teacher trainer.
Christine attended the Toronto Montessori School through to grade 6 and knew at that time that she wanted to be a Montessori teacher. She completed her Early Childhood training in 1992 (?) at TMI and began to work in the toddler program (in that same classroom) at that time. She completed her AMI Infant Toddler diploma in Denver, Colorado in 1994 (?) and worked at TMS until 1996. She then opened her own program which she directed for 7 years before running away to sea for three years with her family. She completed her Trainer of Trainer program and has been directing the Infant Toddler course since 2004.
She currently lives in a village outside of Barcelona, Spain during the school year with her husband, two teenage daughters and one dog where she is an English teacher and co-ordinator of online learning at the school where she works, implementing a range of courses and for several different curriculums, age groups and levels. She speaks Catalan reasonably well, and continues to study, and is learning Spanish (slowly).
