Montessori Children’s House of Lansing
2100 W St. Joseph St.
Lansing, MI 48915
Tel. 1.517.482.9191
For school inquiries: E-mail Administrator Mo Newton
For website inquiries: E-mail Webmaster Cheryl L. Kendall
Faculty and Staff
Tanya Robinson – Primary
Born in Picton, Ontario, Canada, Tanya attended Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies and Native Studies. Montessori found Tanya while taking an education and philosophy course at Trent. Intrigued, Tanya began volunteering at a Montessori school to finish her thesis. This experience eventually led into an assistant position.Working with children in various environments, Tanya felt strongly that her place was in a Montessori classroom. Her positive experiences led Tanya to further her education at Montessori Centre International in London, U.K. and Toronto, Canada. There, she earned a post-gradauate diploma in Montessori primary education.
Tanya’s love of travel led her to accept a position in a Montessori School in North Palm Beach, Florida, where she lived and worked for three years. Upon moving back north to Michigan, Tanya resumed her passion for teaching at Montessori Children’s House. She has also been involved with the Capital Area Literacy Coalition and has additional training in Behavioral Observation and Screening. Tanya has been working at the school for two years, and looks forward to many more.
Pat Taylor – Primary
Pat Taylor has been a primary (3-6 years) directress for 25 years. She received her Montessori training at the Montessori Institute of Greater Cincinnati, an Association Montessori Internationale affiliated center. She holds a B.A. in education, and a M.A. in education with a reading specialization. Pat taught in traditional schools for nine years before “finding” Montessori, a perfect match. It was such a joy to discover a type of education that considers the whole child --intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual. She enjoys creating a warm, nurturing, and attractive environment in her classroom.
Pat has been a volunteer in many community organizations including Ele’s Place, LAAN, Listening Ear, and Hospice House.
Patty Blackburn- Primary
Patty received her B.S. in Communication from Western Michigan University and her Association Montessori Internationale teaching certification from the Toronto Montessori Institute. She began her career as a Montessori teacher in 1976.
Patty enjoys all aspects of teaching in the primary (3 – 6 year) level. However, she has a special love for sharing music, both instrumental and vocal, storytelling, and language lessons with the children.
In addition to her Montessori Training, Patty is trained in SEE –Sequential English Education and the Lindamood-Bell Processes, which address the areas of phonemic awareness, visual imagery, and language comprehension. She is also trained in the Handwriting Without Tears program.
Candy Voigt – Primary
In 1978, Candy graduated from Michigan State University with high honors in Elementary Education. Her major was in Fine Arts, with endorsements in Child Development and Reading Instruction. She holds an Elementary teaching certificate as well. Candy’s Montessori internship year was under a former staff member during the early days of our school. She received her American Montessori Society Primary Diploma in June of 1979, and has been a directress of young children ever since. In 2005, she completed a Masters in Elementary Reading and Literacy through Walden University.
Candy states, “To listen and be in the present moment with a young child; to create opportunities for the young child to reflect, think, create, express himself and know his dignity, and be energized by his own learning is truly fulfilling work. It is a privilege and I feel a great responsibility. This work is creative, challenging, educational and inspiring. Each day, I find joy with the children and the staff here at the school.”
Claud Agnello – Lower Elementary, 1st – 3rd year
Claud Agnello received his B.S. in Crop and Soil Science from MSU in 1979. He received his teacher certification from MSU in 1982 and his Association Montessori Internationale diploma in 1984 from Washington Montessori Institute in Washington, D.C. Claud began teaching at Montessori Children’s House 21 years ago. Claud was born in Milan, Italy, and spent his youth in Harper Woods, Michigan. He moved to East Lansing in 1976 for school and eventually settled in Grand Ledge. Claud enjoys many aspects of teaching and loves being with a community of children, finding their energy to be positive and mirthful.
Mindy Banks – Lower Elementary, 1st – 3rd year
Mindy Banks has been with Montessori Children’s House since September 1984. She began as an assistant in the lower elementary, and has worked in both lower elementary classrooms, and two primary classrooms. In addition, Mindy started the before and after school programs at our school. Mindy began directing her own classroom at the lower elementary level in August 1994. Mindy holds a bachelor’s degree in Parks and Recreation - Environmental Interpretation, and holds a master’s degree in Literacy Instruction, as well as teacher certification from Michigan State University. She holds Montessori Certification from the Michigan Montessori Teacher Education Center in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Mindy enjoys working with children, but especially enjoys the children at the lower elementary age because “they are so eager to learn about the world they live in. Montessori truly opens doors for them – they have the opportunity to explore in all directions, whether it is in math, geography, science, language or personal growth. Their learning is infectious, quickly spreading from child to child. They learn so much from each other, and are so willing to help each other that we have no one, but 20 or more teachers in the classroom!”
Sharon Dhanak – Upper Elementary, 4th – 6th year
Sharon Dhanak has lived in the Lansing area her entire life. She has been teaching at Montessori Children’s House for sixteen years. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Michigan State University, and is certified to teach children K – 9th grade. Her AMI Montessori training, which prepared her to work with 6-12 year olds, was completed at the Montessori Training Center in Cleveland, Ohio. This training led to the completion of a Master’s Degree from Loyola University in Education with an emphasis in the Montessori Philosophy.
Sharon feels very fortunate to work with children 9-12 years old. She says “I love this age child because it is a mutual teaching environment; they teach me as much as I teach them.”
Sue Husband – Education Director
Sue Husband has been with Montessori Children’s House since it began in 1972 with 40 students. In 1975 she became the administrator and in the ensuing years the school grew from two to seven classrooms: 4 primary (3-6 year olds), 2 lower elementary (6-9 year olds) and 1 upper elementary (9-12 year olds). In September of 1999, Sue began to focus her time and energy in areas that specifically involves the children and their parents. As the Education Director, she conducts staff workshops and parent education classes, and handles the enrollment of new students. Sue also works closely with the children by helping them resolve conflicts in a way that is positive and productive and leads them toward greater self-control and self-confidence.
Sue graduated from Marygrove College in Detroit with a B.A. in Sociology and Social Work. She holds a Masters in Education from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her Montessori diploma from the Association Montessori Internationale’s training course held at The Montessori Institute in Denver, Colorado. Her training focused on the years from birth to 3 years of age. In 1998, Sue received the Crystal Apple Award from the College of Education at Michigan State University. This award is given to outstanding educators from across the state.
When asked what her years at the school have meant to her she said ”it has been a gift and a privilege to have worked these many years in an environment that truly supports, encourages, respects and honors the dignity of each child.”
Maureen (Mo) Newton – Administrator
Mo began her affiliation with the school in 1990, when her oldest child enrolled at Montessori Children’s House. Impressed by the longevity of the staff, and the genuinely caring environment, she felt that the school provided a wonderfully unique environment for her sons. Her involvement grew from being a parent to becoming a volunteer, and then part time staff. Eventually, this evolved to a position as full time administrator under the mentorship of Sue Husband.
Originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Mo holds an undergraduate degree in Literature from St. Andrews College, and a Masters degree in education from Virginia Tech. She moved to Michigan in 1985, where she did further graduate studies in education and counseling at Michigan State University.
Mo proclaims and supports a strong commitment to experiential education. She has worked with children of all levels from preschool through college in a variety of settings including outdoor adventure and alternative schools – both public and private. Each day she is enlightened a little more by the children, parents, and staff, who practice the Montessori philosophy at it’s finest.
“The first time I observed at this school, I knew I had found home. My involvement here has challenged me to deepen my understanding of what it means to educate the whole child. I feel fortunate to be in the presence of such fine families and such profoundly committed educators. This is what education can and should be all about.”
