Christine Benham

I recently moved to Austin from my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. I graduated from Arizona State University with B.S. in Family and Human Development, a B.A. in English (Creative Writing), a Dance minor, and a Writing Certificate—which included an internship with Montessori Life magazine.

For the past three years, I have been an after-school teacher at a Montessori school in Phoenix, but my Montessori background started long before that. I was a Montessori student from ages 3 to 6. After volunteering in my classroom, my mom fell in love with the Montessori method and became a Montessori teacher. While I was growing up, I often volunteered in her classroom. She has been such a help and inspiration to me as I have rediscovered the Montessori world these past few years. This summer, after a busy month of finals, graduating, getting engaged, and meeting the wonderful teachers at Primavera, I began my early childhood Montessori training at Houston Montessori Center. My training has been such an amazing and rewarding experience. I have found such beauty in the Montessori materials and philosophy. I am amazed at the unlimited potential within each child and the ability we have to discover the world through their eyes. The emphasis on movement, respect, and peace in the Montessori method made me fall in love with it all over again.

This year, I will be joining the Primary II class as an assistant guide and intern, and I will also join Krista in the afternoon for Creativity Club. I am passionate about literature, travel, the arts, and science, and I love to bring as much of those areas as possible into the classroom. I am looking forward to this year, and I'm excited to be part of the Primavera community.

“One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child."..…Maria Montessori