MONTESSORI BILINGUAL SCHOOL
EDUCATIONAL TEAM
Sylvie Roten
Sylvie, Director
The school is directed by Sylvie Roten, founder of the Bilingual Montessori School "Little Seed". Sylvie is a graduate of St Nicholas Montessori Center in London for children from 2 1/2 to 7 years old and of the Centro Internationale di studi Montessoriani in Bergamo, Italy for 6-12 years old.
She has a Master's degree in Psychology from the University of Geneva.
Sylvie Roten created and directed the Bilingual Montessori School "Little Friends" in Geneva.
Sophie Cordonier
French-speaking Montessori educator 6-9 years old
Sophie worked for more than 15 years in the field of marketing before undergoing a professional retraining and obtaining her AMI diploma for 6-12 years at the Institut Supérieur Maria Montessori in Montpellier. She traveled and lived in many countries and taught in different schools in French-speaking Switzerland and German-speaking Switzerland, before feeling a call to return to her native Valais, a region she loves for its nature and its mountains. Positive and caring, she loves being around children and never ceases to be surprised by their enormous potential, their desire to learn and their creativity.
Tera Goedkoop
English-speaking Montessori educator 3-6 years old
After completing her primary school teacher training in the Netherlands, Tera began her career working with students with learning difficulties. After three years, she made a professional shift and seized the opportunity of a job as an air hostess. International flights allowed him to discover the world for seven years. Tera and her family then moved to Switzerland and in 2007 she began working as a teaching assistant in the English section of an international school in Geneva. His passion is clearly rooted in children and particularly in the opportunity given to bilingualism. Tera is now delighted to be able to join the Little Seed team as an English-speaking teacher and is in the process of Montessori NAMC training.
His greatest passion is swimming in the lake all year round.
Nicole Garsaud
Nicole, English-speaking Montessori educator 6-12 years old
A UK qualified primary school teacher (QTS), Nicole is a graduate of the University of Exeter, with a Bachelor of Education with Honors, specializing in English.
With over 20 years of teaching experience, Nicole has taught all over the world including New Zealand, USA and Japan. However, her passion for skiing and snowboarding brought her to Valais, where she thinks she has found the perfect place to settle down.
Leah Polfer
French-speaking Montessori AMI educator 3-6 years old.
Her softness and her benevolence create a climate of trust with the children she accompanies.
Her studies in speech therapy and special education have given her experience with children with special needs.
Little Seed Bilingual Montessori School's membership in the Eco-Schools program resonates with her love for nature and led her to join the team.
Emilie Tschopp
French-speaking Educator 9-12 years old
Emilie grew up in Valais. From an early age, she had a passion for teaching. After obtaining a Bachelor's degree in preschool and primary education at the HEP-VS, Emilie continued her studies and deepened her training by obtaining a Master's degree in Educational Sciences at the University of Lausanne. After a few years of teaching in Valais, mainly in cycle 2, Emilie decides to follow her husband to New York and discovers the Montessori method.
After 5 years of experience in this progressive bilingual school with Montessori inspirations, Emilie returns to the country.
A passionate, dynamic and creative teacher, Emilie strongly believes in pedagogy through positive reinforcement and kindness. She is convinced that valuing each student encourages learning. Emilie is also a musician and with her guitar, she motivates and accompanies her students.