Educators

All teachers have completed all necessary trainings including CPR, references, Medical Report, Child Abuse and Neglect registry, and background checks to be in compliance with Alabama Dpt of Human Resources, Child Care Division.

Teachers listed in order of length of employment at Auburn Montessori School:

Charlene Kam, Founder/ Director/Lead Educator (1997-present) Contact information: tel/text 334-740-6192, email: amstchori@gmail.com
Preferred name: Charlene
Personal pronouns: she/her
Hours: 7:45 am – 1:00 pm / 6:00pm when needed
Education: B.S. Chemistry, Minors in Biology and Secondary Education University of Miami 1993, Masters in Business Administration 1996. St. Catherine University 2022, Master of Arts in Education. Length of time in teaching: 26 years.
Continued Education hours: Over 250 hrs
AL DHR training: AL Early Learning Guidelines 2019
Montessori training: Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) Early Childhood Level 1998, Elementary Level 1 Diploma 2012.
Intention: To continue her work here at Auburn Montessori School, keeping true to the Montessori philosophy to cultivate a desire to learn in ever changing diverse environments.

Personal Statement:

Mrs. Charlene Kam was born in Trinidad and Tobago. She moved to U.S.A. in 1989 to attend college. Mrs. Kam graduated from the University of Miami in 1993 with a BA in chemistry and a minor in biology and secondary education. She returned to the University of Miami graduating in 1996 with a Masters in Business Administration with specializations in Management Information Systems and International Business. She moved to Auburn, AL in 1997 and founded The Children’s House.

Mrs. Kam has received certification from the London Montessori Center, stating that she has attended the Montessori practical workshop for children 2 ½ to 6 years of age. She completed her practical primary training in 1998 from National Center for Montessori Education. She served as a mentor to trainees for the Child Care Resource Center’s (CCRC) entry level training for new center staff, Introduction to Child Care. She was president of the Lee County Family Child Care Providers during 1998– 2001, president of Parish Council for St. Michael’s Catholic Church from 2012-2014, founder of Anawim Uganda, a non-profit organization providing used soccer gear from local soccer clubs to communities in Uganda. Mrs. Kam holds a Montessori Elementary Level 1 Diploma with MACTE accredited training program, MontessoriLive Training Center. She happily joined the staff of Montessori Live September 2014, offering online instruction in Montessori Math.

Facilitating the community with opportunities to learn more about Montessori Education, Mrs. Kam guest lectures and provides Auburn University Early Childhood Education program with an of-site location to perform supervised student-teacher observations, research, and development of curriculum for outreach in Africa, China and locally. Mrs Kam has developed a parent community that contributes by providing cultural, career, and life history presentations. Mrs Kam has been credited with creating and sustaining a welcoming school community where parents are involved in improving the Natural Playground for their children. Over the past 4 years, she has coordinated spring and summer projects that included the construction of the outdoor performance area, a deck, vegetable garden, and playground equipment. In 2012, Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education has used the facility to educate its Alabama First Class PreK teachers/Directors on Natural Playgrounds in Preschool Education.

2. Name: Susan Harper (2012-2020) relocated to Clarkston, TN
Preferred name: Susan
Personal pronouns: she/her
Employed at Auburn Montessori School: 8-1-2013 Position: Morning Lead Educator
Hours: 7:00 am – 11:30 am/ 2:00pm when needed
Education: BA Studio Art, University of Alabama at Birmingham,1982.
MA Management of Nonprofit Organizations, University of Georgia, Athens,GA. 2006 Length of time in teaching: 30 years. Continued Education: Over 250 hrs
AL DHR training: AL Early Learning Guidelines 2019
Montessori training: American Montessori Society (AMS) Elementary Levels I and II 1999, Pan American Montessori Society (PAMS) Primary Level 2002.
Intention: To continue her work here at Auburn Montessori School

Arctic Animals

Personal Statement:

After working with children for 37 years, Susan Harper joins the staff at Auburn Montessori School-The Children’s House. Susan grew up in a military family. She attended nine schools in twelve years.

Susan has a Bachelors degree in Studio Art from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Susan later owned and operated an art gallery in the East Village, New York and worked at the Third Street Music School Settlement in a program focused on teaching young children through the arts based on a Montessori model.

Under the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Feland Meadows, Susan received her Montessori certificate from Pan American Montessori Society (PAMS), in Atlanta Georgia in 1995. She later took her American Montessori Society training at NCCMTE (North Carolina Center for Montessori Teacher Education) for students six to twelve years of age. During this time she pursued and completed her Masters degree in the Management of Nonprofit Organizations with a concentration in Educational Psychology. She worked at Athens Montessori School for eleven years and as a Montessori teacher trainer for PAMS, Institute for Guided Studies (Camden, SC), and Montessori Teacher Institute (Athens, GA) before she and her family moved to Auburn.

In January 2009, Susan joined The Village School, which she later led to become Village Montessori School. She led this school for two and a half years before being offered the opportunity to help guide a brand new school, Montessori School at Hampstead, in Montgomery in 2011. After two successful years in Montgomery, Susan returns to Auburn. She is returning to her preschool roots, ready to observe and promote student development and independence, allowing each child to explore the prepared environment and to make discoveries that lead to fulfilling his or her innate potential.

3. Name: Sam Price (2015-present)

Preferred name: Sam
Personal pronouns: he, him, his
Employed at Auburn Montessori School: 8-1-2016 Position: Afternoon Lead Teacher
Hours: 1:00pm – 5:45 pm
Education: B.S. Auburn University 2016
Length of time in child care: 3 years.
Continued Education: 40 hrs
AL DHR training: AL Early Learning Guidelines 2019 Montessori training: 80 hours residency
Intention: To facilitate a sustainability community center

4. Name: Dong Shang (2015-2020)

Preferred name: Ms Dong
Personal pronouns: she/her
Employed at Auburn Montessori School: 8-1-2013 Position: Chinese Teacher
Hours: 8:30 – 9:30, 1 day/wk
Preferred pronouns: she, her, hers
Education: B.S. Art degree at Tsinghua University, Beijing China Length of time in teaching: 30 years Continued Education:
Intention: To continue Chinese education at Auburn Montessori School.