Email:
claudia_gonzales@dpsk12.org
Hello! I am honored to be part of the Garden Place Academy family as the Primary Montessori teacher. I am a Colorado native with Mexican roots. I graduated from Metropolitan State College of Denver with a Bachelor's degree in Human Services with a concentration on Mental Health Counseling. I worked for several years as a Bilingual Children's Advocate before becoming a teacher. I graduated from the University of Denver with a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Urban Education and with endorsements in Linguistically Diverse Education and Special Education. I taught ELA E/S Kindergarten for several years before earning my American Montessori Society Primary Certification. Then, I was a founding teacher in a dual language immersion program for several years before joining Garden Place Academy. I am passionate about early childhood education, language acquisition, and social justice. I love the Montessori philosophy and seeing students become well-rounded, independent, peace-promoting, young people. In addition to my role as teacher, I am a proud wife and mother to my husband, two adolescent children and our basset hound. Our family enjoys supporting each other's hobbies, watching lacrosse and the Denver Broncos, barbecuing, and playing games together.