Meet Elena 

​​​

Born in Chile, Elena is a mother of two, a visual artist, and a lover of animals and nature. She discovered her passion for educating young children during her final year of school. As part of a school tradition, graduating students were paired with a kindergarten child to mentor. Elena was paired with Sofía, a five-year-old girl who showed her the world through one of the most innocent, curious, and adventurous perspectives she had ever encountered. It was through this experience that Elena realized her passion was working with young minds full of life, energy, curiosity, and a desire to discover the world around them.

During her third year at university, Elena took a course in Educational Methodologies, where she learned about some of the most influential pioneers in the history of education and the teaching methods that have helped shape education in the 21st century. During this course, she was introduced to Dr. Maria Montessori and the Montessori Method. Of all the educational approaches she studied, Montessori resonated with her the most because it reflected what she believed education should provide during the most sensitive and important stages of human development. Although Elena initially worked within Chile’s traditional education system, she never forgot the Montessori Method. This connection ultimately inspired her to pursue Montessori training and become a Montessori Guide.

For Elena, the Montessori philosophy represents principles that can extend beyond the classroom and into society as a whole: respect and understanding for each stage of development, recognition of each individual’s needs and interests, and guidance through peace. She strongly values the Montessori understanding that learning does not come exclusively from the adult or teacher. Instead, it emerges through the relationship among the child, the prepared environment, and the guide. Their preparation and interaction create opportunities for meaningful learning, and children can also share knowledge and learn from one another without constant adult intervention. This is one of the aspects Elena finds most fascinating about Montessori and, based on her experience, one of the reasons she finds the approach so meaningful.

Elena completed her Montessori Guide training through Montessori Sin Fronteras and hopes to continue expanding her Montessori education by pursuing an AMS or AMI Montessori credential.

Elena has more than 10 years of experience working with children from birth to six years old. Each year has reaffirmed her passion and vocation for teaching. Every day, she rediscovers the world through the eyes of her students, who are fascinated by the extraordinary details adults can sometimes overlook—the flight of a butterfly, the germination of a seed, the feeling of sand, the scent of a flower, or the sound of an animal. What makes her especially proud to be an educator is seeing the excitement in a child’s eyes when they master a new skill or gain new knowledge, and witnessing how the confidence she places in each child contributes to their growth and development.

Outside of school, Elena is the mother of two wonderful children, Julián, 13, and Celeste, 7. She loves spending time with them cooking, laughing, playing board games, cheering them on in their sports, watching movies, and exploring parks, beaches, forests, mountains, deserts, lakes, and rivers. Elena is also a visual artist and has loved drawing and painting from an early age, using art as a way to express her inner world.

During the past two years living with her family in Massachusetts, Elena has gained a new perspective and had the opportunity to experience many different cultures. What she has appreciated most is the kindness of the people she has met, which has led her to see Massachusetts as her new home and a place where she would like to continue raising her family.