Faculty

Wendy Charles – Head of School

My name is Wendy Charles. Montessori education has been my primary career for over twenty-five years, touching the lives of my children and grandchildren along the way. My degree and Director’s Qualifications are from Early Childhood Education. This led to the next steps of becoming Montessori Certified in teaching primary children, (3-6) and later toddlers, (0-3). Grandchildren can be quite an inspiration! The Montessori method is a life-style, a way of thinking and a peaceful way of looking at the world.

Some of the things I enjoy during spare moments are reading, traveling, exercising, raw food “cooking” and spending time with my family.

Amanda Rice – Administrative Assistant/RN

Amanda has worked with children for over five years. Amanda has a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Nursing. She is a licensed registered nurse in the state of Colorado. She was born in Arkansas and has lived in many states since settling down in Colorado. She has been a resident of the Denver Metro Area for over eight years and loves it. Amanda has two children ages 6 and 5, who are her world. In her free time she enjoys hiking, reading and relaxing with her family.

Pamela Hsu – Mandarin Language Teacher

Meiling Hsu was born and raised in Taoyuan, Taiwan. She obtained her MBA degree and worked for an international corporation for six years. Meiling had the opportunity to travel in Asia and Europe for business. She learned to appreciate the importance and beauty of different cultures. In 1995, her family decided to move to the States to pursue a new and different journey. Meiling began to study for a master degree in education after settling in St. Louis, Missouri. She worked as an elementary teacher for one year after receiving her masters degree. She volunteered to talk to students in schools about different Chinese cultural holidays and events. Meiling also explored different educational opportunities which allowed her to teach the traditional Chinese language, Mandarin. She has really enjoyed educating people about the Chinese culture, and is excited about her new educational opportunity with Adventure Montessori. She is looking forward to getting to know the children and parents on a personal level. Meiling is going to incorporate games and songs into the Mandarin Chinese program, so the children will be active learners and have a lot of fun learning.

Toni L. Backman, PhD

A Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Denver, Colorado. After receiving her Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2002, she subsequently completed advanced postdoctoral training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in child development and infant mental health. Since that time, Dr. Backman’s work has included a focus on issues of young childhood, parent-child relationships, pregnancy, parenting, divorce, trauma, depression, and anxiety. She holds faculty appointments in the Irving Harris Program in Child Development and Infant Mental Health at the University of Colorado Denver and with the California School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Backman provides school consultation, conducts child custody evaluations, and maintains a private practice where she provides psychotherapy for adults, young children, couples, and families.