Lyn Viljoen is the co-founder and principal of the Village Montessori School. She has been an active Montessori directress for more than 25 years. She has taught children in all age groups: 3 to 6, 6 to 9, 9 to 12 and 12 to 15 year olds. She has also lectured and examined Montessori students. She established her own pre-school in 1988 and then started Village Montessori Primary School in 1991.

Liselle Viljoen is the manager of the school. She has worked as a lecturer at the University of South Africa, as a development consultant and project manager and before joining Village Montessori School she was the managing editor of a research journal. She is passionately committed to building Village Montessori school into a world class Montessori school. Her daughter, Jenna, is in the Farmhouse class.

Daleen Koen is the Financial Manager of the school. She has been involved with the school for eight years. She is a registered professional accountant with a degree from the University of Pretoria. She did her articles and has 20 years experience as an accountant. She is married to Nico and is devoted to the diligent administration of the school’s finances.

Melanie Livanos is the Head of Pre-school. She completed a Montessori 3 to 6 training course in 1995. She taught for 2 years in a traditional pre-school and joined the Village Montessori family in 1994. She is married to Byron and has two lovely daughters. She loves gardening, cooking and communing with nature.

I have been working at Village Montessori School since 2002. I was born in Mpumalanga and moved to Gauteng in 2002. I love working with the children and I learn new things from them everyday. I have no words to explain the care and support that I see in my colleagues.

My name is Rene Makhari. I joined Village Montessori School in 2008 as an Aftercare worker. I joined the Farmhouse class in July 2010 and I love every moment of it. I believe that it truly takes a Village to raise a child.

I was meant to be a teacher and I am doing what I love. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to work with children. I am constantly amazed at how children know so much. I now understand why Maria Montessori called the teachers the directresses and directors. We laugh and learn new things every day.

My name is Sharron Khayyam - I am married to Shahriar and we have three beautiful boys – all Montessori children! I first heard of Montessori when my first son started at pre-school at aged 3 – I immediately loved the philosophy and once my boys had grown up a bit, I started studying and obtained a pre-primary Montessori qualification. I am now studying the Montessori elementary qualification and it is my aim to finish with a B.Ed specialising in Montessori education. My hobbies – besides being a mum and teacher – include reading and being in nature enjoying the stillness and beauty.

I am a very sporty individual who enjoys learning and having fun. I have completed my degree with a distinction at the University of Pretoria, majoring in Social Sciences (Psychology). Thereafter I proceeded with my Honours degree in Psychology. On completing my tertiary education, I ventured overseas to the United Kingdom. I started my adventure by working in an Autistic School, followed by an Emotional Behavioural Disordered Secondary School in Hackney, London. My goal is to complete my Masters in Play Therapy, but right now my passion is to teach children; to plant the seeds and watch their beautiful minds grow.

My name is Fiona Muller. I am very excited to have joined the VMS team. My joys in life include my son, reading and spending time in nature. I believe that every obstacle in life has been put there to challenge and help you grow. We need to grab these challenges with both hands and be confident in our own abilities.

Caryn Luck is head of the Junior Primary. Caryn has been active in the Montessori Community for 11 years. She is qualified to teach 3 to 12 year olds and is passionate about her career. Currently in her tenth year of teaching in the Junior Primary environment, she is now Head of this phase. Caryn enjoys watching sport and is a devoted Manchester United supporter. Her fun loving approach is carried into ‘helping the child to help himself’. Caryn is a firm believer in always having a sense of humour even when the going gets tough.

I have a passion for life, I’m ambitious and enjoy adventure. I have been teaching Montessori for five years. I have taught in three schools and taught overseas in London. I have my Montessori Early Childhood (2 to 6 year) Montessori Diploma and am attaining my Montessori (6 to 9 year) Diploma in July 2010. I am very involved in Montessori and I also serve on the Executive Committee of the South African Montessori Association. I believe in Montessori. It’s more than just an education but a way of life. It give children the tools to the universe and teaches them to love to learn and to learn to love.

I have been involved in pre-primary and primary teaching since 1985. I have a B. Prim Ed from the University of Pretoria. I am married to Andre and have three wonderful children. The outdoors and reading are my best relaxation. I joined the Village Montessori family in 2008. What a wonderful journey of discovery!

I joined the VMS Junior Primary phase in 2006 after being actively involved in an Early Years Unit and Primary School in Hertfordshire, UK. I have 22 years of teaching experience and was previously appointed as the deputy Head of a Pre-Primary school in Centurion. I have been married for 22 years to Gert and have two teenage children. I firmly believe in the Montessori philosophy: “to keep alive the enthusiasm is the secret of real guidance, and it will not prove a difficult task provided that the attitude towards the child’s acts be that of respect, calm and waiting, and provided that he be left free in his movements and experiences”. I enjoy cycling and running in my spare time.

I have been actively involved in Montessori for 13 years. I have been teaching since 1996 when I received my diploma in 3 to 6 years in Zimbabwe. I worked in a Montessori school in Centurion for two years before joining Village Montessori School in 1999 in the 3 to 6 environment. In 2000 I started teaching in the 6 to 9 environment. I received my diploma in the 6 to 9 year environment in 2005 from Mercy Montessori in Cape Town. In 2006 I enrolled at UNISA and I am currently completing my B Prim Ed degree. I enjoy traveling around the world. The places I have enjoyed visiting has been Mongolia, Great Wall of China and Stonehenge in England. I am passionate about Montessori because the children are given the opportunity to learn at their own pace and to develop their own personalities; to not just become followers but leaders of tomorrow.

Bhavna Bhagattjee is head of the Senior Primary. Bhavna has a B.Prim Ed from University of Cape Town. She has been involved in Montessori for 14 years. She is is a Montessori trained teacher for 6 to 9 and 9 to 15 year olds. Bhavna joined Village Montessori in 2003 as a Senior Primary teacher. She is married to Sailesh and has a beautiful daughter. Bhavna does yoga and Indian Classical Dancing in her spare time.

Elain du Toit has been working at Village Montessori school for 5 years. She is a directress in the 9 - 12 environment. She finished her studies and then went to England where she taught in vairous schools. It was in London that she decided to spread her wings in a Montessori environment.

Elain has been married for 4 years to Martin. They were blessed in 2007 with a beautiful son. In her spare time she loves to go to Loftus with her family to watch the Bulls. Elain loves the bushveld and hunting, she never lets an opportunity slip to visit her favourite holiday spot in Mosselbay.

Julia Dunkley has been working at VMS since 2001. She started in Aftercare working alongside Gigi. She then worked in the Little Cottage Pre-School environment. She is currently working in the Senior Primary Phase and thoroughly enjoys it. She has been married for seven years to Philip. In 2009 they were blessed with a beautiful baby boy whom they named Ty Gabriel Dunkley. In her spare time she enjoys socialising with her friends, cooking with her husband or reading a good book.

I teach in the Senior Primary phase. I have been teaching at Village Montessori School since 2002. Prior to this I taught for five years in schools for children with special needs. My qualifications include: 3 to 6 years and 6 to 9 years in Montessori. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree with Postgraduate Certificate in Education through UNISA. I am also a mother of two wonderful children Anup and Vidya. They have both been in Montessori schools from the age of 3 years (Anup) and 2 and a half years (Vidya). I can vouch for Montessori education both from parental and teaching perspective. I love the company of children and enjoy playing games with them. My interests and hobbies include doing all kinds of arts and crafts, cooking, doing Suduko and crossword puzzles, reading and going for long walks in nature. I also enjoy socializing with my friends and eating out occasionally.

Riëtte Snyman is Head of Department for the High School. She has 15 years experience as a teacher psychologist in high schools, a subject adviser in Ministry of Education of Namibia. She has been working at Village Montessori School since 2008. She lived for 12 years in Canada and two years in the United States of America, where she worked as a paraprofessional in a Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia and as a bookkeeper for various Canadian and American companies. Her hobbies include travelling, reading, kayaking and a love for nature. She has a teenage son. She has her BA Honours in Psychology; a Higher Diploma in Education; a Remedial Diploma; and a Computerized Accounting Certificate.

I am a BA Creative Arts (Educationis) graduate at the University of Stellenbosch. Initially I pursued a career as a graphic artist at the HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council)) and then at the Transvaal Provincial Administration. Thereafter, I was self-employed as an illustrator for various publishers and institutions. Home-schooling my three children for several years sufficiently motivated me to pursue a teaching career. I taught for three years at the Village Montessori Primary and High School. During this time I became acquainted with the IEB requirements in the following subjects: Arts & Culture, Technology and Visual Arts. Furthermore, I gave private art and German lessons. Presently, I am assisting the BIDC students with the following subjects: Art and Design, English, Afrikaans and Music. I am, as always, eager to inspire and contribute to the development of the younger generation.

I have been working at Village Montessori School since 2009. I came loaded with over 15 years post-graduate teaching experience in Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics. I like all good things around me. Most of all I love my Zim-accent!

My name is Gigi, and I have been working at Village Montessori for the past 10 years in Aftercare. The past decade has allowed me the opportunity to work with many various kinds of children, their parents and the staff. My love for the children has kept me working at the school as I have had the opportunity to witness all the beautiful gifts that they shower on me, such as love, kindness, willingness to learn and their sense of humour. The relationship between the children and me are twofold: I have given the children academic experience and lessons in growing up and what is part of life; they have taught me patience and forgiveness. I hope that each child, parent and staff member has walked away happy from the Village as I have always tried to give the best that I can of myself.

I joined the Village Montessori team early 2008. I am a fun and loving person and the VMS environment suits me perfectly. My involvement with VMS has been a great journey surrounded by very supportive colleagues and amazing children. I wish to continue with this journey of helping children grow from point A to B and the staff from strength to strength.

I started working in Aftercare at Village Montessori school in April 2010. The people at the school made me feel relaxed and at home and I fitted in easily. I love to work with the children and especially enjoy the diversity of the different cultures. I enjoy creative art processes and hope to bring that something special through to the children here at Village Montessori School.

My name is Lucky Shabangu. I am married and have a four year old daughter. I started working for Village Montessori School in 2007. I like teaching and playing soccer. I am the coach of the Village Montessori School soccer team.

I am the matron of the Village Montessori School. I have been working at VMS since 2005. I have two children and I love my job and colleagues very much.

My name is Anna Nkaoane. I'm a single mom and have a beautiful daughter. I have been working at Village Montessori School since 2008. I play netball as a hobby.

My name is Kate Matabola and I joined VMS in 2008. I have a four year old son. I love cooking, planting and running marathons.

My name is Josė Masango and I have been at VMS since 2008. I'm married and have a 5 year old son. I like to play netball.

I'm Adam Mabula and I have worked at VMS since 2006. I have two daughters and a son and I enjoy working in the garden

My name is John Makobe. I have a son and a daughter. I have been working at the school since 2001 and I enjoy working in the garden.

My name is Elvis Rampya and I have three children. I started working at the school in 2010 and enjoy relaxing infront of the television.