Denise has been guiding elementary students since 2011. She earned her AMI Elementary diploma from Milwaukee Montessori Institute and began her career in Switzerland in a bilingual Montessori 6-12 year old classroom. In 2014, she transitioned to serve as the lead guide for a 6-9 Lower Elementary classroom at Childpeace Montessori in Portland, Oregon. For seven years, Denise enjoyed exploring, working, and laughing with these children. Striving to better support the wide scope of reading abilities among students, she completed the Orton Gillingham reading support training. As their teacher, Denise hopes to foster in her students rich connections to their interests, learning in ways that align with their personal learning styles, and growth in their capacities as individual and community members. Denise finds her career so rewarding because children bring joy to the simplest things yet also embrace big, bold ideas and always help her see the world from different perspectives; her students keep Denise thinking, learning, and growing.