Today we’d like to introduce you to Katrina Gamber.
Katrina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In high school, I developed an interest in how human beings development, including mental health, emotional expression, and interpersonal conflict. In college, I decided to study education. I moved back to Oak Cliff, where I grew up, after college and started working as a teacher.
Traditional education classrooms have a pretty strict set of rules, where the teacher sets the learning agenda with a clear power dynamic between teacher and student. In Montessori education, the philosophy is child-centered. Children are encouraged to explore their curiosity. The classroom environment focuses less on punishment, and instead communication and conflict resolution skills. Finally, Montessori environments are hands-on, interactive, and encourage students to explore how to develop solutions to address social issues.
I’ve been working at ArborCreek, a Montessori education center, for two years, and deeply love the work.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the challenges for me was even finding Montessori education. In my college education, I was taught traditional teaching methods to help students pass certified tests under the Texas Education System. I started working as a teacher after college. When I had my first child, I sent him to a Montessori education program. I saw pretty remarkable impacts. At school, he was learning how to share, how to talk about his feelings, and how to solve conflicts with other students. He was learning new skills by following his creativity. He wasn’t just sitting at a desk but was building things and getting his hands dirty.
I started to incorporate Montessori education at home and got certified so I could incorporate Montessori education into my classroom at the time.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with ArborCreek Montessori Academy – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
ArborCreek focuses on Montessori education from infancy to 8th grade (with plans to expand into high school).
I am responsible for our 7th and 8th-grade curriculum. This year, I’ve been focusing on incorporating more hands-on engineering projects into our curriculum that address social and environmental issues.
ArborCreek is unique in that we bring Montessori education to pre-teens and teenagers. I believe that this type of education can be incredibly valuable for some students. It allows them to love learning by following their curiosity, to develop a deep sense of personal sustainability, communication, and conflict resolution skills. I strongly believe our middle school and high schools would be better if Montessori education was incorporated more fully.
ArborCreek is also proud of offering scholarships to students to expand Montessori education to a wide variety of students and bring socioeconomic diversity into our classroom.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
It is great to be living in Dallas during a time when there is a real resurgence of downtown and the arts community.
Contact Info:
- Address: 14445 Webb Chapel Rd, Dallas, TX 75234
- Website: http://acmontessoriacademy.org
- Phone: (972) 413-8391
- Email: info@acmontessoriacademy.org
- Instagram: acmontessoritx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArborCreekMontessoriAcademy/
Image Credit:
Christina Childress
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
