Aryana Mohammad

3-6-Year-Old Intern Guide

I was born and raised on the stolen ancestral lands of the Almouchiquois and other Algonquin-speaking peoples, commonly known as Portland, Maine. I was lucky enough to spend my whole childhood in South Portland, which was characterized by a deep love for the ocean. My family is both from Maine and Peshawar, Pakistan, where I have had the privilege to travel multiple times to visit my dear family.   

In 2018, I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in International Development and Social Change from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was in college that I became more interested in alternative education models, social-justice based education, and youth work. I became connected to the idea of education as a tool for building a peaceful, safe and inclusive world (It turns out Dr. Montessori agreed!) I moved to Boston to work as a youth leadership coordinator at a non-profit before entering the world of early childhood education. In 2019, I began working as an Assistant Guide at Dandelion Montessori school in Somerville, Massachusetts, and felt fulfilled for the first time. I stayed there for 5 years before relocating to Catskill and CMS. 

I am currently in-training to receive my 3-6 Montessori Lead Guide Certification from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies, and am happy and grateful to be continuing my education while helping guide children through their own journeys of self-discovery in the Starlings classroom. When working with children, I am reminded of our simplest human duties: to protect life, to learn and grow, to give kindness freely, and partake in joy, awe, and cosmic wonder. My time in Montessori classrooms has brought a daily sense of gratitude, and re-connected me to my own inner child. I believe children are not just “the future.” They are here now with us in the present moment - holding knowledge, intuition and ideas that are central to cultivating peaceful societies and inspiring global change. 

In my free time I enjoy: playing fetch with my cat Indigo, baths, writing, biking, solo woodland walks, music, the art of making tea, and going out dancing (-: