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Head of School
"At Bowman the focus is on the whole child. The three essential qualities we develop in children are self-confidence, respect and responsibility. These qualities lead to independence and adaptability. All these qualities taken together form the foundation for success in school and in life."
Margaret has directed Bowman through our formative years. Her guidance and leadership were instrumental in the process of transforming a startup school of 13 children and 2 teachers into an established institution with 185 children and a program that continues to evolve and gain recognition year by year.
As a recognized leader in Montessori elementary education, Margaret has built an impressive reputation for founding or expanding many of the leading programs in the country; including establishing new curriculum programs, and implementing sound fiscal and operational policies. She served in a director capacity at Whitby School in Greenwich, CT., Kingsley Montessori School in Boston, MA., and Diablo Valley Montessori School, the first Montessori school west of the Mississippi.
Through her passion for "teaching the teachers" at leading Montessori training academies and her success overseeing countless interns, Margaret is one of the most connected and respected Montessori educators in the country.
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Director of Education
"Bowman gives me the opportunity to follow each child's development and create individualized plans that meet the needs of each child. The longer school year and built in flexibility in our weekly schedule allow me to make sure each child has mastered a particular skill before moving on to other things. Having more time and flexibility also lets me develop a curriculum that goes into greater detail and meets the interests of my students. It is very rewarding to see children get excited about a subject, study it and focus on it until they become 'experts.'
Even after all my years of teaching, there is nothing like seeing a child come into my classroom as a non-reader and watch them learn phonics rules, start to put words together and finally read the first book."
Teaching Experience:
Mary Beth started teaching in 1987.
Personal Information:
Mary Beth is one of the founding teachers of Bowman. She has a long-standing interest in education, starting as a volunteer preschool assistant when she was 14 years old. Mary Beth has taught in both public and independent schools, including the Program for the Gifted at the Education Research institute at Purdue University. She is especially fond of language arts and literature. Mary Beth lives in Mountain View with her husband and three daughters (who all attend Bowman).
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Bowman Juniors Teacher and Level Coordinator
Personal Information:
Nancy is a daughter of a Montessori educator.
She graduated from Calvin College in
Michigan and received her Montessori
training locally. Nancy was one of Bowman's
original teachers. She worked at the school
during its first five years before starting
her family and moving to San Diego. Bowman
was delighted to welcome her back in 2005.
She is now the mother of three active boys.
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Bowman Juniors Teacher
Personal Information:
Kate is a trained Montessori teacher and has
a degree in teaching Spanish as a second
language. Kate will be teaching Spanish to
both rooms 1 and 2.
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Bowman Juniors Teacher
"I enjoy the combination of Montessori principles and the international perspective in our classrooms. I can use my skills, training and experiences from both Japan and the United States and apply them at my own pace. There is a wonderful feeling of comfort among the students and teachers. I think this is one of the reasons the students don't hesitate to present their own opinions."
Teaching Experience:
Kyoko started teaching in 1980 and has taught in Japan and the USA.
Personal Information:
Kyoko is a native of Kansai, Japan. She
received her undergraduate degree in Japan
before traveling to the U.S. to study
Montessori education. She earned her
Montessori diploma at Washington Montessori
institute in Washington, D.C. While Kyoko
has taught at other schools, she has been
working with the younger students at Bowman
since 2001. She enjoys teaching practical
life, mathematics, and art. In her spare
time, Kyoko likes traveling, music, crafts
and painting with water colors and oils.
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Bowman Juniors Teacher
Personal Information:
Anita joined Bowman in 2006. She is a
native of India, where she was educated.
She received her Montessori training from
the Montessori Education Center of the
Rockies in Boulder, Colorado, where she
taught until moving to California in 2006.
She is the mother of two teenage children
and likes to spend time hiking, reading, and
cooking.
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Lower Elementary Teacher and Level Coordinator
"The international and multicultural atmosphere of Bowman is really exciting. Both the students and the teachers come from diverse backgrounds, which provides a daily, living example of many of the multicultural aspects taught in the Bowman international curriculum.
I greatly appreciate the mature and helpful attitudes expressed by our students in their behavior. They are always ready to offer a helping hand to anyone who needs help and take personal responsibility to complete both their academic assignments and classroom duties. The students have a genuine concern about what is happening around them and in the world."
Teaching Experience:
Boi started teaching in 1996 and has taught in India and the USA.
Personal Information:
Boi is a native of India, where she was
educated and completed her first Montessori
certificate. She will complete her second
Montessori certificate in 2007. Boi has
been with Bowman since 2003. She enjoys
cooking (especially Indian cuisine),
spending time with her daughter, elocution
and Indian dancing. Boi is always happy to
share her experiences of growing up and
living in beautiful and colorful India. Her
favorite subjects are math and language
arts.
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Lower Elementary Teacher
"I'm most excited about helping children grow in a balanced way - emotionally, physically and academically. I like the educational program at Bowman and its use of the Montessori style of teaching. My experiences of interacting with young minds and challenging them to learn has shown me that, with patience, a teacher can help any child improve and increase his or her level of independence."
Teaching Experience:
Alex started teaching in 2000.
Personal Information:
Alex has been working at Bowman since 2000.
He was born in Michigan and grew up in Palo
Alto. His mother and both of his sisters
are also teachers. He loves to travel all
over the world and share his experiences of
visiting other cultures and countries with
his students. He enjoys teaching all
subjects, but his favorites are history and
geography. Alex is actively pursuing
additional training in Montessori principles
of education.
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Lower Elementary Teacher
Personal Information:
Nicole has been teaching at Bowman since
2005, and she worked as a Montessori teacher
in North Carolin in the preceding six years.
Nicole reports that her favorite event at
Bowman is the graduation ceremony. When
she's not teaching, Nicole enjoys reading,
attending plays, and spending time with her
daughter.
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Lower Elementary Teacher
Personal Information:
Yulianna completed her Montessori training
in 2006 and spends her time teaching the
Lower Elementary classrooms. Yulianna is a
graduate of the University of
Washington. When not busy with her duties at
Bowman, she enjoys spending time with her
children, and visiting her family in
Washington.
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Lower Elementary Teacher
Personal Information:
Teresa is a native of Mexico City and has
been teaching since 1988. She joined Bowman
in 2006 and worked as a Spanish Montessori
teacher in the preceding six years. Teresa
especially enjoys teaching Practical Life
Skills, ranging from grace and courtesy to
cooking. Teresa will be teaching Spanish to
all of the Lower Elementary in addition to
assisting in other subjects.
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Lower Elementary Teacher
Personal Information:
Joe joined the Bowman faculty in the 2007-2008 school year.
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Upper Elementary Teacher and Level Coordinator
"I am especially excited about the hands-on learning approach at Bowman and the opportunity for students to take the necessary time to develop deeper understanding and connections in their areas of interest. Bowman is a place where students and teachers can really work together to produce an environment in which each day is full of learning for both students and teachers."
Teaching Experience:
Ryan started teaching in 2000.
Personal Information:
Ryan was born in Mountain View and has lived
in both Southern and Northern California. He
earned his Masters degree from Santa Clara
University. He describes himself as a
lifelong learner and enjoys sharing his
enthusiasm for learning with the students.
He feels that our hands-on approach makes
impacts that our students will never forget.
Ryan enjoys hiking and mountain
biking. Prior to starting his teaching
career, Ryan worked as a pastry chef and in
the video game industry. He enjoys strategy
games, robotics, fine art, and spending
quality time with his family. Ryan is also
a member of the San Francisco Bay Area
Puppeteer Guild.
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Upper Elementary Teacher
Personal Information:
Nancy has been a Montessori teacher for
several years and is now completing a
Masters degree in Montessori elementary
education at St. Mary's College.
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Upper Elementary Teacher
Personal Information:
Monica grew up in Pacifica and also received
her Montessori training here in the Bay
Area. She has always wanted to help others
but didn't decide on a career in Montessori
until her child was born. Monica is a
duaghter of a Montessori educator.
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Upper Elementary Teacher
Personal Information:
Zoe began working at Bowman in 2006. She is
originally from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania and
is a graduate of Harvard University. Before
joining Bowman, she spent a few years
leading wilderness trips and teaching at a
high school in Maine. Zoe's current focus
is to teach Language Arts in all Upper
Elementary classrooms. She is interested in
poetry and environmental literature, and she
is currently working on her M.A. degree in
English.
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Middle School Teacher and Level Coordinator
Personal Information:
Jeff graduated from California Polytechnic
State University with a degree in English.
He has both taught and tutored students. In
addition to leading a classroom, Jeff's
teaching focus is on history and geography,
and he team teaches literature and usage to
all Middle School students.
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Middle School Teacher
Personal Information:
Gillian shares the Language Arts curriculum
with Jeff. She is responsible for Creative
Writing, Spelling, and Journal for all
Middle School students. She also leads the
Practical Life curriculum. Gillian is a
graduate of Santa Clara University. She
enjoys working with teenagers and has
volunteered at several community outreach
programs.
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Middle School Teacher
Personal Information:
Ray is a native of Iran but has been living in the U.S. since he was
sixteen. Ray is a graduate of the University of California at Davis.
He teaches Math to all Middle School students. This includes teaching
basic arithmetic, Algebra I and II, Geometry, as well as teaching
students who have advanced into Pre-Calculus and Calculus.
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Middle School Teacher
Personal Information:
Monica is a graduate of Stanford where she majored in Science.
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Music Specialist and Level Coordinator
"The students at Bowman are both creative and disciplined, a great combination. They take the initiative in the learning process. I know well what information I want to impart to the students, but at Bowman it is of great importance to let the students guide me to the most appropriate method of delivering the information. Using this guidance, teaching becomes a very dynamic, organic and rewarding process and I am able to use my specialized knowledge in music, literature and history to teach in a way that connects disciplines."
Teaching Experience:
Steve started teaching music in 1990.
Personal Information:
Steve is Bowman's music teacher. He has
studied music in both the U.S. and Europe.
In addition to teaching music to all Bowman
students, Steve tries to kindle their
interest in playing a wide variety of
instruments. He leads the Bowman Band, as
well as a Beginners Band for younger
students. Steve lives in Palo Alto with his
wife, a singer and voice teacher, and their
two children. He founded and performs in a
Renaissance and Baroque music ensemble
called The Whole Noyse. Steve has traveled
to Italy, England, Germany, Mexico, Hungary
and Canada for recordings and concerts. He
loves cooking, baseball and Italy, where he
studied music for two years, and where his
ensemble recently played a series of
concerts in Medieval castles.
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Art Specialist
Personal Information:
Seda taught at Bowman for several years
before leaving to start her family. She
returned to Bowman in the 2007-2008 school
year.
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Japanese Specialist
"The year-round program at Bowman gives me the opportunity to continue helping students through the summer months. This allows me to develop a more detailed program that meets each student's needs. It also lets the students and teachers create stronger relationships built on respect and trust. I believe this makes the Bowman experience more enjoyable for both students and teachers."
Teaching Experience:
Kyoko started teaching in 1985 and has taught in the USA and Japan.
Personal Information:
Kyoko is a native of Japan but has been
living in the Palo Alto area since 1991.
She is one of Bowman's original teachers,
and she is responsible for teaching Japanese
language and culture to all Bowman
students. Her favorite interests include
reading, mathematics and speaking with young
adults. Kyoko is involved in helping
children in Japan and the U.S. understand
each other's cultures through her
involvement with cultural exchange
programs. She holds certificates of Japanese
Tea Ceremony, Japanese Flower Arrangement
and Classical Japanese Dance. She first
became interested in education because she
hopes and believes that world peace lies in
the hands of young people.
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Spanish Specialist
"Bowman has given me the opportunity not only to teach Spanish, but also to share my life experiences with the students. So being a teacher here involves more than just giving a lesson. I also have to set an example for the students.
At Bowman students learn to be more independent and take more responsibility in many areas. Also I see that they can work well individually or in groups without any problem. I can really see the respect the students have for one another."
Teaching Experience:
Eduardo started teaching in 1973 and has taught in Peru and the USA.
Personal Information:
Eduardo is a native of Peru, where he began
his teaching career, and he has lived in the
Bay Area since 1989. He has been teaching
at Bowman since 1999. Eduardo teaches
Spanish to all Bowman students. Soccer is
his favorite sport. When he can, he spends
time traveling and enjoying native foods.
He feels that sharing his experiences in
different cultures is an important aspect of
teaching at Bowman.
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Latin and Greek Specialist
Personal Information:
Jessica is a graduate of Skidmore College with a major in classics.
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Librarian
Personal Information:
Liz is a graduate of Oberlin College and
earned a Masters degree in Library and
Information Sciences from the University of
California at Berkeley. She has spent most
of her career working in Silicon Valley.
While Liz joined the the Bowman staff in
2006, she is the mother of one of Bowman's
earliest students and has been connected
with the school since 1996. Liz enjoys
teaching information literacy and sharing
her love of books with the students.
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Physical Education Specialist
Personal Information:
Antoine has been with Bowman since the 2006-2007 school year.
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