About Us

OWNER/ LEAD TEACHER

Brianna is a MACTE (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education) accredited Montessori Early Childhood Teacher. Born and raised in Southern California, she was a songwriter, yoga enthusiast and certified teacher for 20+ years. After receiving her accreditation under Gulsevin Kayihan at the Montessori Academy at Spring Valley, her life has been devoted to giving children the tools to learn confidently and independently. She began her career in Montessori after the birth of her son in 2018, and it completely changed her life. This shift brought Brianna to her work under Erika Locatelli at Peaceful Place Montessori in Madrona. Learning to adapt during the pandemic, and keep the children thriving, socially engaged, and excited about learning, was a testament to the bond between teachers and students. Her years of teaching is rooted in celebrating diversity and the importance of caring for our beautiful planet. Since moving to Magnolia, Brianna took the opportunity to embark on her dream of building Tiny Cabin Montessori from the ground up. With a rooted focus on inclusivity and love, she is excited to share this vision and build a community with the families who come together here.

LEAD TEACHER

Tina is a certified Montessori teacher with over 25 years teaching experience. She received her credentials in 1995 at The Montessori Teacher Education Center in San Leandro California, and has a run both Primary and In Prep Classrooms as head teacher. While primarily living in Northern California, she was able to raise three children with her husband of more than 30 years. Recently they made the decision to move back to Seattle and be closer to their family. Her eldest children went to WSU, and her youngest is a Freshman this year. Tina is also a graduate of WSU with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. However after working at Nordstom for a number of years, she realized that her heart was not in fashion. She went back to school to receive her Montessori credentials and started teaching preschool. She continues to spend her life doing what she loves and in the fall of 2023 started working at Tiny Cabin Montessori. Tina brings so much joy to the classroom, and the children absolutely adore her.

LEAD TEACHER/ SPANISH TEACHER

Monique has devoted her life to working with children. She is a mother of three ( 32, 28, and 10 years), with one 3 year old granddaughter. Her rich Aztec and Apache heritage brings a beautiful reverence for the practices her ancestors left behind. She is grateful to continue learning and cultivating a deeper understanding of their teachings. When Monique is not in the classroom, she loves to spend her time with family, practicing ballet, folkloric dance, hiking, and camping.

When she was in 6th grade, she took her first Early Childhood class in order to be with her little sister when she started kindergarten. Her love of education brought her to many classrooms throughout the country, all while keeping up with her own Early Childhood Education studies. She spent some time in Texas, where she loved the weather and the change of pace while at the Community Development Institute Head Start (CDI). Here she worked with children who spoke primarily Spanish with English as a second language. 

Most recently Monique spent the last few years working as a lead teacher at Kaleidoscope School in Magnolia. She lives her life holding true to the belief that, “Love is the key to my success.” 

ASSISTANT TEACHER

Star has a long history working with children of all ages. At an early age she began volunteering with disabled pre-schoolers, tutoring second graders, directing elementary school theatre and co-founding a theatre program for middle schoolers. Over the years she has twice been a nanny for small children, and volunteered in public schools teaching art to kindergarteners and tutoring 5th grade math. The last couple years have been spent alongside teacher Brianna at two Montessori schools. She continues to volunteer serving food and teaching art to underprivileged populations as well as translating between English and Portuguese for Angolan refugees.

Originally raised in Brazil, Star immigrated to Washington as a dual citizen for higher ed. She left for a masters in Milan before settling in Seattle. Her love of education has resulted in a myriad of incredible degrees: an Associates of Arts and Science (Tacoma Community College); a BA in Graphic Design (Central Washington University) with double minors (Advertising and Art History); a Masters in Packaging Design (Istituto Europeu di Design); and a second associates in Cabinetry and Architectural Woodworking (Wood Technology Center). The NW taught her to love the outdoors and she spends her free time climbing, cycling, yoga and more.