Kate Enriquez, Lead Primary Teacher

Miss Kate knew about Montessori education from a young age – her aunt was a Montessori teacher and her cousin is a former Montessori Tides student. However, it wasn’t until she moved to Atlantic Beach from St. Louis in 2012 and had a chance to observe Miss Kathy’s primary class that she understood what Montessori education really meant.

“My first couple of days as an assistant teacher, Mrs. Kathy told me to take a seat and just observe the classroom and write down in a journal what I observed,” Kate said. “Over the next two years, observation had become one of the many things that I love about Montessori.”

After two years in Mrs. Kathy’s class, Miss Kate decided to pursue training to become a Montessori teacher and completed her training course in 2016. Her training has been supported by Montessori Tides School, the Montessori Tides Children’s Foundation and the school community.

Miss Kate’s favorite Montessori quote is: “Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.”

Miss Kate experiences her environment outside the classroom by riding her bike around the beaches, spending time with family, and enjoying her newly found love of cooking.