Fulbright Alternate Recognition Leads Amelia Weishaar to New Zealand
Fulbright Alternate Recognition Leads Amelia Weishaar to New Zealand
Upper Elementary teacher, Amelia Weishaar, has been named an alternate for the prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Teacher Award. Building on that honor, Amelia will take a year-long sabbatical in New Zealand in 2026 with her husband and three children to further her studies in education.
Amelia’s journey stems from her work in the American Montessori Society’s Instructor Academy. This two-year program inspired her to delve deeper into Montessori philosophy and practice. The more she studied, the more she felt called to dedicate extended time to research and reflection—time she can bring back into both her classroom and her future teacher training.
Her proposed study aimed to examine how Māori (the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand) worldviews are reflected in Montessori and traditional classrooms. In New Zealand, the Māori emphasize values such as whanaungatanga (kinship and relationship) and manaakitanga (care, respect, and hospitality). Those ideas mirror what Montessori envisioned for the classroom: a place where children grow through collaboration, mutual respect, and a connection between learning and life. This interconnectedness—within the classroom, within community, and into the broader world—is lived out in education.
The adventure began to get real earlier this year when she was named a Fulbright finalist.
Realizing a year abroad (a long-time dream of their family) was a distinct possibility, her husband jumped into action to secure a physician position in Wellington (the capital of New Zealand), and they sought enrollment in a Montessori school (of course!) for their three children, elementary through high school-aged.
This exciting news also enabled The Glen to begin preparations for a potential sabbatical of a lead teacher and program director. Ms. Rachel, a long-time teaching partner and certified Elementary II (Ages 9-12) Montessori teacher, began preparations to direct all individualized education for all students. Anticipating the potential need for a second set of hands, The Glen was able to hire Kaci Cava, with an environmental science background, to tap into her roots as an educator and share the instructional load, particularly in math and science.
The title of “alternate” Fulbright Distinguished Teacher for calendar year 2026 was confirmed in September 2025. With her family’s support and endorsement of The Glen Montessori School, Amelia will be conducting her research in New Zealand for the 2026 calendar year.
We celebrate Amelia’s remarkable achievement and look forward to welcoming her back in January 2027, when she will share her experiences and discoveries with our school community.
