Faculty
Interim Director
CHarles TErranova
Charles Terranova currently serves as the Interim Director of Cambridge Montessori Institute. He has been active nationally and internationally as a classroom teacher, teacher educator, administrator, and speaker. Charles has worked in both independent and public Montessori schools, and has consulted with a number of Boards of Trustees, Heads of Schools and teachers. He presents regularly at local and national Montessori conferences. Charles leads monthly curriculum development workshops at schools and Montessori teacher education programs across the nation. Charles holds an AMI Early Childhood diploma and AMS Elementary I and Elementary II Credentials. Charles is the founder of The Montessori Community School (now Inly School) and has headed three other Montessori schools in New England. For the past 25 years, Charles has served as a field consultant, supervising teacher, and course instructor at Seacoast Center Montessori Teacher Education Program. He also founded the Montessori Schools of Massachusetts (MSM) and has served on the AISNE board, the MACTE Board and the Principals’ Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
infant and Toddler Teacher education program coordinator
Michelle Battistone
Michelle is a nationally recognized expert in Montessori education for infants and toddlers. She is a lecturer in the infant and toddler education program at Cambridge Montessori Institute in Cambridge, MA. and a field consultant for Montessori Education Center of the Rockies. Michelle is also part of the site inspection and evaluation team for Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (an autonomous accrediting association for teacher education). Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and an AMS Infant and Toddler credential from North Harris Montgomery College. She has been a classroom Montessori teacher, teacher educator, administrator, and speaker. Co-Founder of Montessori Mentors, and the Infant and Toddler Program Coordinator for The Institute of Montessori Education, Michelle has spent over twenty years teaching infants, toddlers and the adults who work with them.
Administrative coordinator
Amy Wood, Ma. Ed
Amy Wood received her Bachelor of Math and Science degree in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College in 1999. She later went on to earn her a Master of Arts with a focus on Montessori education from St. Catherine University in 2009. Additionally, she holds her Massachusetts Teaching License from birth-2nd grade. Amy is dually Montessori credentialing from AMS at the Infant/Toddler from MI-NE and Early Childhood from Northeast Montessori Institute. She has been a toddler teacher for nine years and a Primary teacher for twelve. Over the last twenty years, Amy has been a mentor/supervising teacher to interns, Teacher Educator and a consultant for Montessori schools. Amy has presented at the Montessori Schools of Massachusetts annual conference and is also a Field Consultant for CMI.
Course Instructors
Susan Tracy McDaniel
Susan Tracy McDaniel, M.Ed. is a lecturer in the Infant and Toddler Education Program at Seton Montessori Institute in Chicago, Illinois as well as at Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado. Her expertise spans Montessori philosophy and application, child development, and parent education. She has served infant and toddlers as a teacher for over 20 years and is a frequent national speaker and consultant. Susan is the Director of the Learning Together Parent Education Center in Illinois. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Northwestern University and a Masters degree in Education from Loyola College. She is a certified EFT practitioner and holds both AMS and AMI credentials in infant and toddler education.
Nancy Rose
Nancy Rose, MA. is the Executive Director of New England Early Childhood Associates (NEECA), an organization providing a variety of outreach services to individuals and organizations serving young children and their families in the New England area. In addition to a BA in Distributed Studies, Nancy Rose holds a Masters degree in Special Education and teaching certificates from both the American Montessori Society (AMS) and the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). She has served as a faculty member and has been a guest lecturer at several colleges, universities and teacher training programs and has been involved in all facets of early childhood education for more than 40 years. She was a co-founder and academic director of the Montessori Teacher Training Program of the Rockies and a co-founder of the AMS Peace Committee.
Nicole Coman, Ed.S.
Nicole Coman, Ed.S. received her Education Specialist degree in school psychology from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Additionally, she also holds a Masters Degree (M.S.Ed.) in School Psychology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Before serving as a school psychologist, she was the clinical research coordinator at Boston Children’s Hospital, working primarily with individuals with developmental disabilities. Nicole is a native Floridian. Before moving to Boston, she worked at the University of Miami Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) for 7 years. At CARD, Nicole consulted with schools across 3 counties in South Florida assisting teachers, students and parents. Nicole serves the Child Development Instructor for Cambridge Montessori Institute.
Gretchen Courage, M.Ed.
Gretchen Courage, M.Ed. Gretchen received her B.A.in Fine Arts and Religion from Boston University and a Master of Arts from Goddard College. She holds Massachusetts state teaching certification for Early Childhood and Elementary and holds an Administrator’s credential from Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs and a Primary Credential for Ithaca Montessori Teacher Training Program. In addition to teaching at the Primary level, Gretchen also taught and administered her own Montessori school in the Park Slope Section of Brooklyn. She was a Montessori resource Teacher at two Montessori Public Schools in Springfield, MA and is now the Director of Education at Amherst Montessori School. She will be presenting Math this summer.
Veronica Burbano, M.Ed.
Veronica Burbano, M.Ed. Veronica received her B.A. from Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador and her Masters in Early Childhood from Grand Valley State University. She is Certified in Primary from CREC, AMI Montessori Training Center of New England. She holds a Massachusetts Early Childhood License and Director I status from Massachusetts Office of Childcare Services. She has worked as a Lead Guide since 2013 and Montessori Assistant since 2012 at Amherst Montessori School. She has been a Montessori math trainer at NCMPS since 2017. She will be presenting Practical Life this summer.
Megan Randlett, MFA
Megan Randlett, MFA Megan holds a BFA from the University of Connecticut and an AMS Montessori Primary Certification from Florida Institute of Montessori Studies. Megan is EEC certified at the Preschool level and has taught as Lead Guide at Amherst Montessori School since 2015 and has taught primary level at East Longmeadow Montessori Internationale from 2013 to 2015. Megan is a frequent workshop presenter and has led workshops in Circling Back to Circle Time, Meeting the Need of Diverse Learners, and has led Parent Education workshops on practical life. She will be presenting Montessori Language this summer.
Martha Torrence, M.Ed.
Martha Torrence, M.Ed. has been a Montessori educator since 1977, serving as a classroom teacher, Head of School, curriculum coordinator, teacher-researcher, workshop presenter, and teacher educator. She is currently Head of School at Summit Montessori School in Framingham, MA. Martha served on the AMS Board of Directors for 11 years. She was AMS Teachers’ Section Chair for 9 years, served on the AMS Executive Committee for 3 years and was Board President for 1 year. Martha currently serves on the Board of the Montessori Schools of Massachusetts as the organization’s Vice President. Martha was Principal and Head Teacher in the Pre-primary classroom at the Xavier Univ. Lab School for 3 years. She co-founded Our Children’s Center in State College, PA, serving as its Head for over 20 years. Martha was the Director of Toddler/Primary Programs at Cambridge Montessori School in Cambridge, MA. A Teacher’s Research Network participant, Martha has written award-winning articles on her research topic, play. She holds a Liberal Arts B.A. and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Supervision (Penn State University); and an AMS Early Childhood credential (AERCO/Ithaca).
Cheryl Vernick, B.A.
Cheryl Vernick, B.A. Cheryl holds a B.A from the New England School of Art and Design. She is a credentialed AMS Primary Teacher and is a Specialist in Toddler and Primary Art at Cambridge Montessori School where she has taught for many years.