Amy Sunshine Klinger Eshelby

(She/Her)
9-12-Year-Old Lead Guide

“There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be found around them, in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving.”

- Maria Montessori (From Childhood to Adolescence)

This quote is a favorite and is one reason I am so incredibly passionate about teaching with immediate access to nature, which CMS so highly values. I grew up in rural Oregon, on 20 acres of scrub oak and sagebrush, with Mt. Hood looming nearby. The independence my parents gave me to explore, create, wonder, and learn from nature is my foundation in teaching and parenting. My son, Owen, is 19 and went through Montessori from age 2 to 14. You may meet him one day when he visits CMS!

My background in Montessori began in 1998, as an assistant in a younger elementary community in Portland, OR. Since then, I’ve received my AMI training and my Masters of Education and taught 6-9 for 15 years and 9-12 for 6 years in both public and independent schools. I also worked at Montessori Northwest, an AMI teacher training institute, supporting adults in their elementary Montessori journey and as a consultant. Montessori is a way of life for me, not just an educational pedagogy. The notion of agency, creativity, interconnectedness, and respect for all living things speaks to my soul and is the bedrock of my marriage with Jenny, my wife and lower elementary guide at CMS.

My hobbies include crafting, reading, cooking, hiking, camping, and kayaking (floating, really). Here are a few of my favorite things: laughing babies, animals, petrichor, campfires, making ‘mixed tapes/playlists’ for road trips, singing with my friends, and Shinrin Yoku (forest bathing).