Meet The Teachers at The Glen Montessori Middle School
Meet Our Middle School Co-Teachers: Ms. Cathy and Ms. Tess!
The Glen Montessori Middle School is guided by two remarkable educators whose diverse backgrounds bring depth, creativity, and passion to our adolescent program.
Tess (right, in the picture above) grew up surrounded by books as the daughter of a teacher and children’s librarian. She earned a B.A. in History from Allegheny College and an M.A. in History and Museum Studies from the University of Delaware. After museum work in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Connecticut, she shifted her focus to literacy education, serving with Literacy AmeriCorps and later working for a decade with Beginning with Books, sharing the joy of reading with children in underserved Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Since 2014, Tess has taught adolescent students at Montessori Children’s Community and Sewickley Montessori Middle School, completing her Montessori training at the Hershey Farm School. Outside the classroom, Tess is an avid fiber and needle arts enthusiast — sewing, quilting, and rarely seen without knitting in hand.
Cathy (left, in the image above) began her career as a research scientist at Alcoa, earning a B.S.E. from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. When her three children entered Montessori school, she was captivated by the method — and never left. Since 2008, she has guided upper elementary and adolescent students in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida. Cathy holds AMS Elementary I–II credentials from CMTE-NY, adolescent certification from AMI/NAMTA, PA Private School K–8 certification, and the AMS Certificate of Teacher Education Instruction. In addition to her classroom work, she serves on the faculty of the Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative, mentoring new Montessori teachers nationwide.
Together, Cathy and Tess bring an inspiring blend of academic rigor, Montessori expertise, and heartfelt dedication to nurturing the curiosity, independence, and growth of The Glen’s middle school students. We are thrilled to welcome them as partners in guiding our adolescents — and we can’t wait for you to see the exciting work happening in their classroom this year.