Our Staff

Erin is committed to the development of young minds and is grateful for the opportunity to work with your children. After completing a bachelor of arts degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington in 2006, Erin went on to earn a master's degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Additionally, Erin has experience as a certified nursing assistant through the Wyoming State Board of Nursing. Erin’s professional teaching career began with three years of experience at the Community School in Victor, Idaho, now partnering with Teton Science School in Jackson, Wyoming. Erin was a beloved member of this project-based education school as an after-school program teacher, math and reading assistant teacher, and substitute teacher (preschool through sixth grade). Also, Erin has over five years of experience as a professional childcare provider in Teton Valley, Idaho. After one year of being a teaching assistant in upper elementary at Monticello Montessori, Erin is excited to teach first through third grades in this Montessori education setting. Erin is currently in the mentoring process of attaining an Idaho state teacher’s certificate and is a classroom-ready certified teacher through the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence. With a diverse background, Erin brings to the classroom a love for learning, which is sure to inspire your child for a lifetime of curiosity and achievement.

Shauna Garner has been a Montessori guide for many years. She received her American Montessori Society (AMS) credentials from Montessori Training Center of the Rockies (MECR) in Boulder, Colorado. She has taught in schools in Kansas and in Texas. Mrs. Garner has her bachelor's degree in communication from Fort Hays State University and will be completing her master's degree in December from Chaminade University. She has been teaching at Monticello Montessori since 2014.

Leslie Woodford fell in love with the Montessori Method when she first toured a Montessori classroom in Savannah, Georgia. More than anything, she wanted her children to have a chance to experience the hands-on, child-driven education. While her children were on the waiting list at Coastal Empire Montessori charter school in Savannah, Georgia, she submitted her own application to work at the school—she’d heard that staff members' children got in automatically. She worked at the school while her youngest son attended the preschool and her older son was in a lower elementary classroom. She enjoyed it so much that she returned to school for formal Montessori training. She holds an American Montessori Society (AMS) Administrator and AMS Elementary I and II credentials from Westminster College. She earned a professional teacher license in 2000 from the state of Colorado and is currently converting that into an Idaho teaching certification through the American Board for Teacher Excellence (ABCTE). She has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and a bachelor of arts in humanities from Brigham Young University. She started at MMPSC in the fall of 2018 and brings 12 years of teaching and training experience to the position. Sign up for her weekly newsletter.

Mrs. Emma Lindow loves working with kids and helping them improve their knowledge and skills. She has taught elementary music for the last seven years to students in Utah and then in Las Vegas. She is excited to also teach kindergarten this year! She plays the piano, flute, and organ. She also loves to run and has run three marathons. She is excited to teach the kids at Monticello Montessori.

Laura Macbeth graduated from Pocatello High School and went on to Ricks College (now BYUI). After raising a family, she returned to school, graduating with a bachelor of arts in German and international studies with a Spanish minor. She then went on to receive a master's degree in public health from the University of Pittsburgh. Laura has worked on many large research projects in Pittsburgh. She had the opportunity to work with the African-American, Amish, and elderly populations. She also worked with a medical residency program on a nutrition project starting with doctor visits, continuing in the home, and then in the community at schools and grocery stores in the area. Laura also taught anatomy and physiology at the Allegheny Community College before relocating to Idaho Falls. She and her husband raised six children—three of whom were terminally ill, one whom they adopted from Korea, and a Native-American foster child. Because of these experiences in her life, she has a compassion and understanding for children and loves working with them. She is currently working on the ABCTE certification so she can continue teaching, which is her passion.

“Miss Emily” teaches our preschool. She has been with Monticello Montessori for five years in our kindergarten and preschool programs. She has been the teaching assistant for the past four years and is excited to be teaching this year. She loves yoga, singing, and hiking. She enjoys the smaller children very much and finds that they teach her just as much as she teaches them!