ROSALIND "ROZ" WILLIS

•Upper Elementary
Support Teacher

Montessori was in my life at a very young age since my mom has worked at Children’s House for most of my life. The school holds many memories for me, including playing “teacher” in the empty classrooms as a child. After receiving my AA degree focusing on art, humanities and early childhood education at Cuesta, I went on to receive my BA in art at UCLA. I was lucky to have an exceptional arts education teacher at UCLA who inspired me to continue on a path to work with children. When I moved back to the central coast from Los Angeles, it felt very natural when a spot for the kindergarten support teacher opened up at Children’s House. I knew I wanted to be a part of this school once again.

I found Montessori to be a seamless way to combine my interests in art and children. My favorite artists are children! I am constantly amazed at their innate creativity, their openness and independence. It is a great joy to be able to provide them with these experiences and to encourage them to keep going. I connect to Montessori’s emphasis on the visual environment and the experiential learning methods. I am in awe every day at this school where children get to touch numbers, feel sounds and do it all at their own pace.

While working at Children’s House, I went on to continue my studies in the Montessori curriculum and the home study with the Montessori World Institute. I worked in the Kindergarten classroom for 4 years and then moved into the Upper Elementary classroom.

When I’m not teaching, I enjoy creating, caring for my plants and spending time wandering the coast.