our staff

As a child, I always loved the act of teaching. I loved helping others and seeing them succeed. I felt confident when I could teach them successfully because I struggled in school. 

I’ve always had a special place in my heart for those that learn differently. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a young girl. I want to make an impact on my students the way my teachers did on me. I believe that an education filled with enthusiasm, movement, and curiosity led by mentors that care is the pathway to success. 

I grew up in the rural town of Gardnerville, Nevada, and loved school. I graduated from Idaho State University in 2013 with a B.A. in Physical Education and received my Master’s in Special Education from the University of Idaho in 2015.

I first became interested in Montessori while I was pregnant with my now 5-year-old son. I lived in Juneau,  Alaska where I was able to witness these environments in person. It immediately resonated with me and what I believe childhood is about; freedom, play, and choice. I strive to build such an atmosphere at home. I am so excited to be a part of the PCM because of what it has to offer children from all walks of life.

I taught elementary special education in Moscow, Idaho for two years after moving back to the lower 48. We recently moved back to the Palouse from Carson City, Nevada where I was a secondary special education and adaptive PE teacher.

I look forward to mornings reading with tea, taking advantage of the bike paths everywhere again, sunsets, and spending many hours outdoors with my family and dogs in this beautiful countryside.

My husband and I recently moved from Hawaii to Pullman to be closer to our Cougs! My passion for taking care of children drove me into this profession where I have been lucky enough to have worked across all ages. I have a great passion for our youngest learners and have been proud to focus on building responsive, positive, nurturing relationships

with each child.

Teaching Early Education in Hawaii is one of my greatest accomplishments and I'm so excited to be able to be apart of Pullman Community Montessori.

Outside of the classroom I enjoy spending time with family. We love the outdoors, traveling and going to sporting events!

My wife Mary and I, both WSU alums, moved to Pullman in 2018 from the Seattle area in search of a better pace of life and to attend more Cougar sporting events.  I taught for four years at Palouse Prairie Charter School in Moscow, and loved that experience, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work at start-up charter school in Washington.  I previously taught in a traditional public school in Kenmore and at a homeschool resource program in Edmonds, Washington.  I’m especially excited to learn the Montessori method of teaching in a multi-age classroom.  My goals as an educator are to cultivate learning experiences for students that emphasize critical thinking, creative problem solving, and collaboration; and to help students discover their strengths and interests in order to become life-long learners and contributors to building a better world.  One of the best things Mary and I have done in our life is walk the Camino de Santiago in 2017.

I am new to Pullman and am originally from Virginia Beach, though I also lived in the mountains of Appalachia for nearly seven years while I attended college at Virginia Tech. I graduated this past spring with a Master’s degree in Material Culture and Public Humanities, and before that with Bachelors’ degrees in Art History and International Studies, and a minor in French. While in school, I picked up two and a half years of experience teaching undergraduate art history and visual arts courses as part of a small team of graduate teaching assistants and tutored in academic and technical writing and research methods. I also have years of volunteer experience working with kids as a swim instructor and coach. I have always found helping others to learn and succeed to be very fulfilling work, so I am delighted to be joining the PCM team this year! Though I am new to the Montessori method, I value its hands-on approach and I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to help create and support this dynamic learning environment!

Some fun facts about me are that I drove across the country twice to move here, and have seen 31 U.S. States altogether! I love to travel and I have a personal goal of visiting every National Park in the country - and then hopefully also the ones not in the U.S.!

It is a great privilege to work with your children. I attended the University of Idaho and graduated with a B.S. Ed., a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education Teaching, with an emphasis in History Teaching. I also have a history minor with that degree. I graduated from the University of Idaho in May of 2020.

I have been inspired to join the path of becoming an educator ever since 2011, when in high school I took a 'teacher trainee' course with Gretchen Wisner. I was placed in an elementary reading intervention program. I got to experience firsthand what it feels like to be able to help someone else learn. I have found throughout my life that when I am teaching someone something, I find great peace and fulfillment in it.

In that same year, 2011, I heard President Obama's State of the Union address. He said, "...To every young person listening tonight who's contemplating their career choice: If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in the life of a child—become a teacher. Your country needs you."

When I decided to give college education a try a few years after graduating high school, I found that teaching was what interested me the most. Education is such an integral part of our society, and I really feel like I am contributing back to society by working in the field of education.

I come from a long line of educators. My grandma was an art teacher for 20 years in Indiana, and it was because of her joy of learning new things that teaching sparked my interest. I find that in teaching, no day is the same, making it one of the most intellectually rewarding and rigorous processes I have ever been a part of. Seeing students expand their knowledge and evolve their minds through education is what brings me the most joy. I look forward to seeing what knowledge we will gain as we work together as a community toward the common goal of education.

As a child, my favorite activity was to arrange my stuffed animals, and give them each spelling tests, which I would diligently grade and return to them. When I was very young, I came to realize that at its best, school was not only a place to learn, but a place to feel compassion, empathy, and care. When I got a bit older, I realized that that was not the case for everyone, and began to search for other modes of education that could provide that care to a wide range of children. This became a central theme of my own education as well. In 2015, I came to WSU for college and quickly fell in love with the sense of community that Pullman has to offer. While in college, I was introduced to the Montessori method, and immediately felt a connection with the emphasis on respecting children, and for allowing them to be who they are, rather than pushing them to meet specific standards. In 2021, I joined PCM as an assistant, and have been here ever since. I love working with such dedicated people, and with such interesting and unique children. I am currently working toward my Montessori certification in order to become a guide.

Fun fact about me:  In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, printmaking, and spending time with my dog, Toby.

My name is Christina Brandt and I am very excited to join Pullman Community Montessori. I have a passion for teaching and developing young children. I understand the incredible impact that a good teacher can have on the life of a child. I have always wanted to be a teacher because of the positive influences my teachers had on me. PCM aligns well with my personal values and mission.

I attended Iowa State University where I studied education and theatre. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Performing Arts. I went on to attend the University of Idaho where I received my Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing, specializing in Children’s Theatre.  After graduating I taught drama as well as kindergarten at a private school in Seattle. It was there that I was first introduced to a teaching philosophy based on Montessori principles. I was immediately drawn to this method of teaching and learning. When I found out that I would be moving back to the Palouse for my husbands’ job, I knew that I wanted to teach in a school that emphasized the educational values that were so close to my heart. After moving to Pullman, I had the privilege of working as a lead teacher at a private Montessori school.  I am thrilled to continue my journey by joining PCM as the lead teacher for a kindergarten community! My goal has always been to foster life-long learners that are excited to come to school day after day.

When I am not in the classroom I enjoy drinking coffee, hiking, running, and snuggling my 10-month-old baby girl!  I cannot wait to get started with PCM and meet our PCM students!

It is with great pleasure I will be working with kindergarten students at PCM as an Instructional assistant. I have been an educator for 40 years. In my early years I taught kindergarten for seven years then stepped down from the position so I could be more involved with our young children’s lives. I then became the Director of Daytime Cooperative, along with developing and teaching the preschool program for six years. My plan was to return to full-time teaching but we had another little blessing we weren’t expecting (our fourth child), so I became a substitute teacher for the next 18 years.

I love kindergarten and I believe it’s one of the most important classes for many reasons. Laying a good foundation for kindergarten students to love math and reading, etc. through FUN games and activities while nourishing each student to feel smart as they discover new concepts is very rewarding for them and me. I get very excited as I see a huge smile on their faces because they just discovered a new concept on their own and feel great about themselves.

Fun Facts: I am a local and was raised on a farm in Colton/Uniontown area. I am one of the youngest of twelve kids. My husband and I have four children and four grandchildren. We have attended many sports games since all four children played college sports. Now, in my spare time, my husband and I go four-wheeling, visit the grand kids and I spend my time thinking of and creating educational games to make learning fun for the students.

When I was in school I really did not know what I wanted to do until my freshman year of being at the University of Idaho. It finally hit me after doing an observation in an elementary school in Moscow. I decided I wanted to become a teacher. I wanted to have the impact on the future generations of students like my teachers had on me. My teachers, growing up, were able to make a great environment and a great learning experience for me to decide I want to be in the same footsteps.

I am originally from Coeur D’ Alene, Idaho. I have lived there my entire life besides living in Moscow for school. I played football at the University of Idaho and was part of many outdoor clubs and activities. I have a goal to hike and climb the tallest peaks in every state. I have so far  completed two with it being Idaho and Florida. I am an adamant about rock climbing, football, and fishing. I am a big Rams fan for football! Horns Up! I am also a big Oregon Ducks fan even though I am in Coug territory. I came back to the Palouse because it feels like a second home.

I am looking forward to this new experience working at a Montessori school this being my first year. I have worked at a couple other schools, but I am looking forward to a new way of teaching and seeing a new school.