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Maia Radbil

My name is Ariel Maia Radbil.  I will be finishing out the semester as Teaching Assistant in Primary 3 and I am incredibly excited!  I could not be more ecstatic, and ready to work and play with your children.  I feel as though Athena is all about life lessons, great work, and fun. I am grateful for this special time to spend with your kiddos, and I am eager to begin more in-depth training with Keyla, Lisl and Ms. Mandy as I continue to grow in my abilities to serve and educate the whole child in the Montessori way. 

I have been studying the philosophies of Montessori and practicing my Athena language with the children for almost a year in various roles at Athena, and this Fall have had the opportunity to support both the Primary 4 and Primary 3 classrooms.  My immersion training in P4 was one of the most eye opening experiences in my Athena career thus far.  I learned so much from Susanne, our fabulous P4 Lead, made some excellent connections with P4 children and their families, and really developed a sense of consciousness for what Montessori really looks like in the classroom.  Spending extensive time in the living, breathing, growing classroom was like a boost to the next level of understanding.  I feel honored to have worked with both Susanne and Jeremy, for I learned more than I could have ever imagined.  Thanks P4!

Following my P4 training I returned to my role as Lead Nap Guide, After School Team Member and Support Guide.  In my support of the P3 classroom, I have been having a blast.  This is a classroom that I feel very connected to already, mainly through ASP, as well as Nap, and free outside time and from being a part of the Athena community in general. The close family connections are a treasure.  As most of you know, I also had the opportunity to support Keyla during conferences this past semester, where I met and reconnected with families one on one. 

During this transition you will also find me on the playground supporting After School, where I will make a slow transition out of that program, as I help train a new member to the Athena family to take my place, while also supporting Keyla as needed after school.  I look forward to connecting with each and every one of the Primary 3 families over the course of the next semester.

By way of background, I have been living in Austin, Texas for almost six years, soaking up the sunshine, attending college at ACC and Texas State University for Fine Arts and Education, and hanging with my now three-year old son, Jonah Story.  What an incredible city to raise a child!  I come from a family of four children, three boys and I which helped shape my competitive mind and body.  I enjoy any type of physical and mental challenge and have been very happy to delve into early childhood education for these reasons.

Before coming to Athena, I worked at Harmony School of Excellence as well as Primrose School of Southwest Austin, where I began to shape what I felt were good, educational and fun activities and experiences with young children.  As I teach, I like to put myself in the scenario as a child, thinking about how something works and would be explained from the perspective of a young mind. Taking this one step further or rather, forward, I enjoy guiding the children to new discoveries and learning and growing together with the child.  I am eager to continue my growth in this community both as a person and as an educator, and am so excited to be working with Keyla and your children in the Primary 3 classroom!