Ms. Nicole has been teaching at CLMS in the toddler class for many years! As Maria Montessori said “Find the work that satisfies your spirit”, and she sure did! She loves being with the two year olds. She says it’s her passion and her mission in life. Ms. Nicole was born and raised in Italy. It was a little over twenty years ago when she immigrated to the U.S.A and she “adopted“ as her own family this beautiful Montessori community. CLMS was the community which helped her raise her daughter, who went through the entire program and graduated from CLMS in 2011. Ms. Nicole loves to travel and read. She is also a runner and trains for marathons. She loves animals, and she has a horse named Mia, 5 cats and 3 turtles.

Ms. Nicole says: I learned about Montessori in Italy. Many years ago Maria Montessori was printed on our Lire 1000 bill and we had to learn about her in school (very superficially). Also, my mom’s neighbor’s daughter attended Montessori in Como Italy and throughout these years I heard a lot of “Montessori strange things!” that she was telling us about!

I have studied foreign languages in Italy. I have studied English, French and German. But I am fluent in English, Portuguese and German. Italian is my mother tongue language.

What I love about Montessori: I love that we don’t teach only academics. Even if academics are important, Peace and Kindness are very important too. No matter how many degrees you have if you do not say Please and Thank you!

I also love the respect we learn and teach for all human beings.

3 things I can’t live without: Art ( books and music ), traveling, pets and running. (Well, these are four things I can’t live without)!

My favorite trip I took: Bali, Indonesia. I have been there more than once and I think it is Heaven on earth! If I could go to a travel agency today and pick out a trip I would choose Laos and Vietnam. I am dying to go there! I also would love to visit Kashmir. I have heard beautiful things about it.

Favorite food: I love Hummus, Falafel and Pita. I also love Vietnamese food. I have been a vegetarian for about twenty years.

Favorite quote: I have a quote that I love and I have been keeping in mind as I was training for my last marathon. But I have realized that I can apply it in every aspect of my life and the quote is: “Do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt.