Pre-Primary
Mrs. Kamilya Dasaeva is a certified Montessori Infant and Toddler teacher. Born in Soviet Russia, Mrs. Kamilya watched her mother teach English to preschoolers and children with special needs in elementary school. Mrs. Kamilya often helped her, so love and care for children became a natural part of her life. She came to America for the first time in 2009 and then again in 2011 to work at a Montessori Summer camp, and that was where she fell in love with the Montessori approach to education. In Russia, there were no institutes to become a Montessori teacher, so in 2013, Mrs. Kamilya returned to America to pursue her dream profession. She was very fortunate to learn from one of the pioneers of the Montessori Method in America, Sister Anita Schulte. Sister Anita’s philosophy lectures were the most inspiring and awakening. She once asked the students why they wanted to become Montessori teachers. Mrs. Kamilya answered that she wanted to make this world a better place and the best way to make a change in the education of our children, since they are the future. Peace is a big part of Montessori education. Mrs. Kamilya worked in various teaching roles at Franklin Montessori School in Washington, DC. After that, she became a mother and joined the Meadows Montessori family as a toddler teacher. Mrs. Kamilya has many talents and hobbies. She loves poetry and storywriting. She used to work as a journalist for a weekly city newspaper since she was 12 years old. She also loves crocheting and sewing. She loves drawing and painting. Mrs. Kamilya has experience in murals, which taught her that there is no art that she can’t handle, no matter how large it is. She loves working on house projects and improving spaces, and she holds a master’s degree in architecture. She studied Russian, English, French, Tatar, and Arabic, in addition. And she really wants to learn Spanish next. She taught English in preschool in Russia and taught Russian in Saturday school in Washington, DC. Mrs. Kamilya used to perform on the stage in a school theater as a child, so she brought her love for performance to her classrooms, both in Russia and America. Some of the plays her students performed were: “The Three Little Pigs,” “Little Goat And the Cake,” “The Little Red Hen,” “The Turnip,” and “Peter Pan,” among others. Mrs. Kamilya did her own decorations and costumes for the children. Traveling is another passion of hers. In America, she visited 25 states, learning about their architecture and history, hiking, trying new food, and meeting new people. She loves sharing her experiences with children, so on every trip, she collects booklets from tour centers and pieces of nature like sand rocks or shells. Mrs. Kamilya is also passionate about gardening. She has a “green thumb” and surrounds herself with live plants from everywhere she has been. She likes to teach children how to care for plants from a young age since plants provide oxygen, and the green color is important for the eyes to rest. Plants also bring us food, and Mrs. Kamilya loves to cook. Since Mrs. Kamilya is an artist and a dancer, she happily shares her talents with children, bringing music and movement activities into daily classroom routines.