Staff

Head Teachers


Grishma Dave'

Grishma has more than 18 years of professional work experience including 13 years of teaching experience, with 10 of those years in a Montessori Classroom. This is her eighth year of teaching at Mariposa Montessori School. Grishma's respect and fascination for the Montessori philosophy/methods and its ability to help children become independent and learn to their fullest potential continues to grow with each year of her teaching experience.  Grishma has really enjoyed being part of the Mariposa team as well as Mariposa community.
Grishma started her professional career as a Product Designer, but has always had a passion for teaching young children. This passion drove her to get her Masters degree in Montessori Education from the Washington Montessori Institute at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland in 1999.Grishma also has a BS in Industrial and Product Design from the National Institute of Design (NID), India. After working for 2 years for a design firm, she had founded her own design consulting firm in India and ran it for about 3 years.
Grishma then came to the US in 1987 and while raising two children, she joined Loyola College for the Masters program in Education. After completing her Masters degree in one year, she and her family moved to CA in 1999.
When she is not working or taking care of her family Grishma enjoys travelling, reading, cooking, listening to music, watching cricket and baseball.

Felina Garcia
Felina Garcia is married with four children and two grandsons.  Felina loves to cook and bake for family and friends.  Felina graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Education in the Philippines. It has always been her desire to be a teacher and share the knowledge she has. Felina became a high school teacher in the Philippines and taught for more than ten years.
Looking for a greener pasture, Felina’s family migrated to America where she promptly found a teaching job. After being an assistant teacher in a Montessori setting, she decided to take the certification training. While in training, her school was in need of a head teacher in Kindergarten and the job was offered to her. Thinking that opportunity knocks only once, Felina accepted it with confidence. Felina was a part of that school for eight years. Thereafter, she found Mariposa Montessori School and the people here became her second family. This is her seventh year at Mariposa. It has brought a great joy to once again return as a full time teacher in the 5-day program.
Teaching young children is a wonderful experience. Sending your children in school at a very young age is a great experience for them. In the Montessori environment, the focus is on personal behaviors, such as grace and courtesy. Eventually, they will become young leaders, beginning readers and curious mathematicians. According to her the aim of the child’s work is “the working”. Their work satisfies the inner need, and in order for self –discipline and free choice to be developed in the child, the child must choose their own work and work on it alone. We must also understand that children learn at their own pace.
Felina feels it is very important that all the children have a positive attitude about the environment they spend their day in. Good self-esteem goes hand in hand with developing a love for learning and joy of discovery. Felina looks forward to working with your child throughout the year!


Mona Maan

This is her 10th year with Mariposa Montessori School.  Her husband, Naeem and her have been married for 28 years and have been blessed with three children, Zeshaan 27 who got married last year, Aalia, 25 and Irfaan 21. She was born in Uganda and was 6 years old when her parents moved back to Pakistan. She completed her BA in Economics and then taught at a local Primary school for a few years. She attended the University of Santa Cruz Extension where she studied Early Childhood Development and received her teaching certificate. She then went on to complete the A.M.S. Montessori training in San Leandro.

 

She enjoys teaching and taking care of small children. It is a very humbling and profound experience watching children grow and change right before your eyes. It has been a great pleasure and joy to see the children grow socially, psychologically and physically. Mona feels privileged to be part of their growing and learning process.     

           

She also enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and in her spare time she also enjoys cooking and sewing.


Nabila Naz
Nabila Naz is starting her fourth year here with the Mariposa Montessori team of educators. She originally joined us from the east coast and is very glad to be with us. She comes from a large family that was born and raised in east Africa but originates from Pakistan.

Working here at Mariposa has been one of the greatest times of her career.  She looks forward to another amazing year with the children, the kind families, and the staff.  

Inspiring children has not only been her life goal but also a dream. After the experience of the regular school system she sought out to find a better and more effective way to educate and nurture children. She found it in the Montessori way. Now, after studying and training she is here to be an enthusiastic addition of the classroom.


Munawar Ahmed

Munawar received her Early Childhood Education certificate from the UCSC extension in 2003 and worked for a very short period with Childcare Careers.  She began with Mariposa Montessori in Willow Glen campus in 2003 as an assistant teacher. The Montessori environment, which respects, honors and celebrates the individuality of each child and the great Mariposa staff inspired her to pursue the Montessori training course.  Munawar obtained her AMI certification in 2004 from the Montessori Teacher Training Center of Northern California, Mountain View while she was still working as an assistant teacher in Willow Glen.  She taught 5-day AM classroom for three years and was the lead teacher for the 5-day extended classroom for past three years. This is her ninth year here at Mariposa and she is looking forward to continue seeking the great in the child and helping it blossom.


Assistant Teachers

Junko Khabir

This is Junko’s ninth year at Mariposa Montessori School.  She feels that it is an honor and a great blessing to work with children.  She enjoys spending time with children, observing their growth, developing their capabilities, and helping build their creative minds in their unique ways.
She received her Certificate of Achievement in Child Development at De Anza College in 2001.  She has an A.A. degree in English literature from Japan.  After working for a semiconductor company as an administrator for 8 years, Junko  began her new life with her husband in the U.S. in 1998.  Junko loves singing, cooking, baking, and hiking.


Mandeep Bhogal

This is Mandeep’s third year at Mariposa.  Mandeep was born and raised in India.  Mandeep moved to the United States after marrying her husband of 9 years and has a 5 year old daughter, her "little princess" and recently had a new baby boy "little Ekam".  She graduated from India in BA Arts and continued her education by completing Early Childhood Education courses in San Jose.  She maintains her life balance by cooking and enjoying time with her family.


Irma Ortiz

Irma officially began with Mariposa Montessori in June, 2011 as an Assistant Teacher.  However, she has spent the last five years working at Mariposa through a professional staffing agency.  While Irma was living in Mexico City, she obtained her Bachelors Degree in Interior Design.  She has always had an interest in child development and began studying Early Childhood Education.  She is currently a student at San Jose City College.  Irma is the mother of two and both her daughters are currently in college.  Because she is no longer a full time mother, she and her husband have time to spend doing activities that they enjoy such as cooking, spending time with friends, dancing and reading.



Administration

Teresa Wertman, Director

Teresa is starting her eighth year at Mariposa Montessori. She has lived in the Bay Area for most of her life with the exception of time she spent living in both New York City and Seattle, Washington. Teresa loves Mariposa and its community and is proud to be a part of the Mariposa community and family. Every day is a new adventure to look forward to at Mariposa. It is a pleasure to work along side such a wonderful and dedicated staff and Board of Directors. The children at Mariposa are a true joy to watch every day as they grow and blossom. She has over 20 years experience in the field of Early Childhood Education working in schools in the Bay Area. Teresa graduated from the University of Santa Clara with a degree in Accounting. She also received her education in Early Childhood Education at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, De Anza College, West Valley College and College of Notre Dame. Teresa has not only been an Administrator, she has taught in preschool rooms for children ages two-five and directed after school care for preschool aged and elementary aged children.


Susan Bunce, Office Manager

Susan is a graduate of Santa Clara University with a degree in Marketing.  She has lived in the Bay Area for the last 25 years; living in Los Gatos for the last 15 years.  While her background is in retail and the mortgage industry, she is looking forward to working with the staff and families at Mariposa Montessori School.  Susan and her husband are the proud parents of two boys, ages 13 and 15.  Susan has spent many years volunteering in her boys' classrooms, library, working Jog-A-Thons, and going on field trips with her two sons.  Susan enjoys spending time with her family, watching both of her boys compete in select soccer and lacrosse and football.  Susan has spent the last few years volunteering in the youth sports arena, first as the Concessions Director and later as the Secretary for the Los Gatos Little League.  In addition, Susan is the manager for her oldest son's soccer team, the SJ FC Gunners 96B Red.  In her free time, Susan enjoys exercising, reading and spending time with family and friends.